Waste management in households and IFS units utilizing scientific options is a major objective in Farmer FIRST Programme (FFP). Food and organic waste management in households could be achieved through bio process as demonstrated by Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) in Pathiyoor. Hence to popularize it and reducing cost of feed among poultry farmers a training program was organized on 12 November 2021 at FFP farmer Mr. Radhakrishnan’s, house, Pathiyoor at 10:00 AM on conversion of organic waste to manure and fish and poultry feed using the novel Black Soldier Fly (BSF) biopod technology. The training programme was the eighth programme of Farm Entrepreneurship Development series under Farmer FIRST Programme (FFP), as a part of the Azadi ki Amrit Mahotsav.

Dr. P. AnithaKumari, Principal Scientist, FFP, ICAR – CPCRI welcomed the gathering and introduced the waste management technology using biopod and importance of organic waste conversion to manure. Theory session and method demonstration of the low cost biopod units for converting household kitchen waste to protein rich poultry / fish feed done by Dr. P. Anithakumari, PS & PI (FFP). Further Mr. Radhakrishnan – ATREE farmer shared his experience of good growth of poultry birds and reduction of 15 to 25 percent of feed cost. The system consists of 100 liter bucket with lid for collection of kitchen wastes and another small bucket with lid for collection of larvae/pupae of Black Soldier Fly (BSF), which converts waste to high quality protein. The black soldier fly will lay eggs and these larvae grow in the organic waste. The larvae can also be dried and stored as feed or can be directly fed to fish and poultry as supplementary feed after disinfecting.

A total of 18 farmers attended the training and method demonstration sessions, which concluded by 12.00 PM and biopod units were distributed to participant farmers for demonstration and feedback.