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By Annonciata Byukusenge
Uzabakiriho Alphonse is a 31-year-old man living in Gicumbi Sector, where he engages in fly farming, an activity he says has helped lift him out of poverty.
He explains, “I started rearing flies at the beginning of last year. I came up with the idea after the PRISM project gave me a donation of two pigs along with their feed in 2023 to help me escape poverty. But when the feed ran out, I couldn’t afford to buy more.”
Uzabakiriho decided to research online to find alternative sources of pig feed. That’s when he discovered that flies can be used to produce animal feed, and he immediately began looking into how he could start farming them.
“As soon as I learned that flies could be used to make animal feed, I asked around to find a fly farmer who could give me starter larvae. I found one who gave me one gram of larvae (1 gm), and I began fly farming early last year.”
He says he never gave up, even though his neighbors and friends didn’t understand what he was doing.
“Anyone I talked to about my fly farming project thought I was crazy. No one believed that I could ever achieve anything through fly farming.”
The flies he rears produce animal feed, fertilizer, and oil.
“Every day, the flies give me about 20 kilograms of animal feed, 50 kilograms of fertilizer, and some oil. It helps a lot because I sell the feed to other farmers.”
Innovation
Uzabakiriho says everything that comes from the flies is useful, and he makes sure to get the most out of it.
“I use the oil to make soap. I use it myself, and as you can see, my skin is healthy and clean. Once I perfect the process, I plan to make more soap and sell it on the market.”
He adds that for now, he only sells the fertilizer and animal feed, as he hasn’t started producing soap in large quantities.
“I sell a sack of fertilizer for 4,000 Rwandan francs, and the animal feed for 450 francs per kilo. It’s not just pig feed, chickens also eat it.”
Gicumbi District Mayor Emmanuel Nzabonimpa says the PRISM project has helped improve people’s livelihoods, reduce poverty, and fight malnutrition and stunting.
“PRISM gave us small livestock such as chickens, pigs, and mushroom growing kits. These have all contributed to our development. We also have some beneficiaries who have started innovative activities, including fly farming.”
Challenges
Uzabakiriho says one of his main challenges is the lack of proper equipment and infrastructure for fly farming, which prevents him from achieving the productivity he desires.
“Besides the lower yield during the rainy season due to unfavorable weather, I don’t have a proper structure or the necessary tools. If I could get support, it would help me expand my fly farming activities.”
About the challenge of Uzabakiriho, Gicumbi District Mayor Emmanuel Nzabonimpa says that they will visit him and identify the support he needs.
The Partnership for Resilient and Inclusive Small Livestock Markets Programme (PRISM) Project, funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), is being implemented by the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) through its SPIU. It is jointly funded by the Government of Rwanda, IFAD, and Enabel, with Heifer International (co-financier) and VSF Belgium as key implementing partners. The PRISM Project has a total duration of 5 years, having become effective in March 2021, and is scheduled to close in September 2026.
The Project is intervening in 15 Districts, distributed across the Northern (Gakenke, Musanze, Burera, Rulindo and Gicumbi), Southern (Ruhango, Huye, Gisagara, Nyaruguru and Nyamagabe), and Western (Nyabihu, Rutsiro, Ngororero, Karongi and Nyamasheke) provinces. The selection of districts was done based on the level of incidence of poverty and food insecurity, as well as the comparative advantage for the development of the targeted small livestock value chains.
According to the 7th Household Living Conditions Survey, Gicumbi District ranks highest among rural districts in Rwanda, following those that make up the City of Kigali.
