Juan Carlos Celis Parada
aili medina castro
Universidad Externado de Colombia
Gustavo A Yepes López
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This project is intended to offer the farmer skills and knowledge so that they are responsible for running the project for the generation of this food and can supply their animals in a faster, healthier and cheaper way, taking into account that a lot of times the farmer does not receive profit or does not receive what they invested in chicken and eggs. Additionally, it is possible to take advantage of the organic waste produced by farmers themselves.
In collaboration with an entomologist it was possible to identify the characteristics of this Pupa based food, which is rich in nutrients and mineral oils that can substitute the consumption of purine or corn for chickens. Therefore, the harvest of this food starts with the construction of "honeycombs" which are constructed with materials such as guadua, cloth, buckets and cardboard; where it must be ensured that the fly feeds exclusively on homemade organic waste such as ripe mango, oranges, vegetable peels, among others; as stated by Mr. Manzoni “in this way it is guaranteed that the Pupa based food has all the essential nutrients for excellent nutrition for hens.”
Gruppo Manzoni Ltda. was inspired to carry out this project based on the recommendations given by FAO that suggests and promotes in society the non-consumption or supply of animal protein, since it is considered as a problem for the environment and for the health of people, and therefore, advises the consumption of other foods that could replace those, both for people and for animals that are for human consumption.
This is a project that started with a group of 44 farmers who hope to expand this initiative to the farmers of all the towns of Cundinamarca, to teach them to “create a circular economy.” This project should generate trust and loyalty with the farmers, that way they can manage to maintain the system and consolidate it so that in a year and a half approximately this Pupa based food could be mass produced. That would facilitate an economic gain for the farmer and for the company as well. There is a huge business potential for this project since Colombia has approximately five million farmers which in the medium-term future can make use of this Pupa based food, which is not only a food for chickens but also for poultry and pig holding.
With this initiative it is expected that the farmer can save up to 80% of his money and will no longer buy the same amount of food for the rearing of his animals, achieving a more significant gain of up to 100%, which will depend on the amount of Pupa based food harvested, since a single fly in optimal conditions can produce more than 500 eggs. Now, if you have 500 flies in the “honeycomb”, the farmer can count on having 250,000 Pupas that can weigh around 5 grams, which means that the farmer can count on approximately 1,250 kilos of Pupa-based food each month, to feed their chickens, no longer needing to buy other food for them.
This Pupa based food benefits society by creating awareness about the environmental care and guaranteeing continuity in the production of quality food for animals. As reported by Mr. Manzoni: “This is a Pupa-based food which has no impact on humans, because it is endemic and the hens ingesting this food do not fight each other, which leads to the production of higher quality eggs.”
To ensure that this species reproduces favorably, “a specific amount of flies are released in a controlled manner to the environment in order to refresh the production of Pupa”, that guarantees a quality product, taking into account that it is in their nature to be free in the wild.
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This initiative contributes to a durable and sustainable society because it offers the farmer a new way of feeding their animals through a food based on Pupa and a way to save money in purchasing food such as Purine, corn or concentrated. It also helps farmers develop skills and tools, so that they can maintain responsible production and consumption.
