George Makoni

The Community Water Alliance (CWA) has launched a Black Soldier Fly (BSF) waste-management pilot project in Glen View, Harare, aimed at promoting clean environments, climate-smart practices, and sustainable community livelihoods. The initiative, funded by UN-Habitat and implemented in partnership with Harare City Council, targets ten vulnerable and marginalized women who will operate from a CWA stand in the suburb.

CWA National Coordinator, Hardlife Mudzingwa, said the project prioritizes women due to their historical and cultural marginalization in society, and aims to ease the burden of unpaid care work on women. The BSF project will significantly reduce biodegradable waste in Glen View and complement CWA’s ongoing plastic recycling programme and is set to be scaled up after this pilot project.

The project promotes a waste-management model anchored on reducing, recovering, recycling, and reusing solid waste, warning that transporting waste across areas has high logistical and financial costs. Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) has been engaged to train participants.

CUT Farm representative Brendon Mavheneke said the project aligns with Vision 2030 goals on value addition and beneficiation. BSF larvae consume biodegradable waste and produce organic fertilizer and high-protein feed for livestock such as chickens and fish.

“A single fly can lay between 500 and 900 eggs, with a life cycle of about 45 days,” Mavheneke said. “3kg of BSF larvae can process up to 9kg of organic waste, making the species a cost-effective alternative to conventional protein sources like soya.”

UN-Habitat representative Fredrick Maponga said the BSF project is part of the Harare Sustainable Cities Initiative, promoting clean environments, smart energy solutions, and sustainable livelihoods. He encouraged residents to embrace biodiversity and avoid pollutive energy sources such as coal and firewood, which contribute to black carbon and climate damage.