Insect and Hydroponic Farming in Africa

Page 252

increasing its market value; and improved the health of the livestock, which decreased the perinatal mortality of the herd.4 ADVANTAGES OVER SOIL AGRICULTURE Higher Yields Than Conventional Agriculture The hydroponic system is more productive and efficient than conventional farming. Hydroponic crops have greater yields and, often, higher nutritional values than traditional agricultural crops (Christie 2014; Buchanan and Omaye 2013; Gichuhi et al. 2009; Selma et al. 2012; Sgherri et al. 2010). Hydroponic systems also require fewer pesticides (Resh and Howard 2012). The reason for the greater yields is that hydroponics allows for continuous year-round production and shorter harvest cycles than soil-based farming methods. The exact number of annual growing seasons depends on the type of hydroponic system being used and the climatic conditions within that system. For example, outdoor system growing seasons are still dictated by the outdoor temperature and daylight hours. Plants grown hydroponically are generally less stressed than soil-grown plants since hydroponic plants are in their optimum growing conditions all the time, which creates less waste than conventional farming (Treftz and Omaye 2016). Moreover, hydroponic crops have similar, and sometimes higher, levels of vitamins and minerals compared with soil-based cultivation systems (Gruda 2009). The pilot in Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp (box 5.1) showed that hydroponic systems require up to 75 percent less space than traditional field farming methods (WFP Kenya 2020). Reduced Water Usage Hydroponic systems use less water than open-field agriculture (Ly 2011; Despommier 2010). According to Despommier (2010), hydroponics requires approximately 80 to 99 percent less water than traditional agriculture, with the more advanced hydroponic systems using less water than simplified systems. Hydroponic and aeroponic techniques deliver the optimal amount of water needed for healthy plant growth. The same principle is true for nutrients, which producers can mix precisely and deliver to plants, thereby optimizing the growing conditions for each plant’s species, growth stage, and nutrient requirements (Wootton-Beard 2019). Hydroponic systems have been successful in water-stressed environments in Africa. Between October 2018 and March 2019, a hydroponic pilot project was carried out in Djibouti (Ministry of Agriculture of Djibouti 2019), one of Africa’s more arid countries. The project benefited 27 Djiboutians. In Kenya, Hydroponics Africa Limited provides training and installations of hydroponic, aquaponic, and greenhouse structures. The company has installed more than 3,500 hydroponic units and trained more than 5,000 small-scale farmers in Rwanda, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda. Sixty-five percent of these units are located in dry regions. The WFP hydroponic pilot project in the Kakuma 212

Insect and Hydroponic Farming in Africa


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook

Articles inside

Phase 2: Scaling

2min
page 279

Phase 1: Establishing and Piloting

6min
pages 274-276

6. Ways Forward

1min
page 271

References

8min
pages 266-270

Operation in Turkey

1min
page 260

Operation in Turkey

1min
page 259

Comparison with Soil-Based Production

2min
page 264

Pillars

7min
pages 257-258

Limitations

2min
page 256

and Cowpeas

6min
pages 253-255

5.1 Examples of Human Food or Animal Feed from Hydroponic Crops

5min
pages 248-250

Advantages over Soil Agriculture

2min
page 252

Outputs

2min
page 247

Types of Hydroponic Systems

2min
page 237

References

11min
pages 227-232

About Hydroponics

6min
pages 234-236

Fertilizers, Zimbabwe

1min
page 204

Breeding, Zimbabwe

1min
page 203

4.22 Black Soldier Fly Larvae Frass Production, by Crop, Zimbabwe

1min
page 201

Zimbabwe

1min
page 199

Zimbabwe

1min
page 195

Zimbabwe

4min
pages 197-198

Zimbabwe

1min
page 191

Zimbabwe

1min
page 189

4.7 BSF-Related Conversion Factors

4min
pages 186-187

4.4 Productivity of Different African Palm Weevil Farming Systems

2min
page 180

Three African Cities

5min
pages 181-183

Edible Insect Production Systems

7min
pages 171-174

Description of When Consumption Occurs

3min
pages 159-160

Insect Production Systems

10min
pages 163-167

Edible Insect Supply Chains in African FCV-Affected States

3min
pages 156-157

Insect Farming’s Economic Benefits

2min
page 133

3.9 Feed Conversion Rates of Various Insect and Livestock Species

4min
pages 128-129

Insect Farming’s Social Benefits

2min
page 123

Insect Farming’s Environmental Benefits

4min
pages 124-125

3.8 Fat and Protein in Various Edible Insect Species

6min
pages 120-122

Available in 2019

3min
pages 117-118

Insect Sector

5min
pages 114-116

3.2 Most Commonly Farmed Insect Species

3min
pages 102-104

Types of Insects That Can Be Farmed Roles in Insect Farming for Civil Society, Government, and the

2min
page 101

3.1 Diversity and Abundance of Edible Insects in Africa

3min
pages 96-97

Insect Farming’s Nutritional Benefits

2min
page 119

in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp, 2016

1min
page 100

Context of Insect Farming in Africa

2min
page 95

in 13 African FCV Countries, Various Years

1min
page 76

Conflict, and Violence

1min
page 48

FCV Countries, 2000–19

1min
page 74

Road Map

2min
page 51

Than Five Years

2min
pages 67-68

Food Supply

2min
page 65

References

4min
pages 54-56

Climate Change in FCV Countries

2min
page 82
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
Insect and Hydroponic Farming in Africa by World Bank Publications - Issuu