From yuck to profits: Some Zimbabwe farmers turn to maggots to survive drought and thrive

Associated Press

NYANGAMBE, Zimbabwe (AP) — It was an alarming, even sickening, suggestion: Farmers in Zimbabwe hit hard by drought should farm maggots to feed their animals and boost their household incomes. But the smelly solution has been embraced after some convincing in a country where people have traditionally associated flies with diseases such as cholera. The larvae of the black soldier fly don’t spread disease, and they are a rich source of affordable protein. The collection of food waste for maggot farming also helps limit trash and greenhouse gas emissions. One local woman now celebrates the “sweet smell of food for the maggots, and for us, the farmers.”