TABLE 4.25 GHG Emissions Reduction and Energy Savings from Using BSFL Meal and Frass Instead of Traditional Livestock Feed Production and Synthetic Fertilizers, Zimbabwe Reduction/savings
10% conversion 30% conversion
GHG emissions reduction from BSFL meal (t CO2-eq)
190,465
571,396
GHG emissions reduction from frass (t CO2-eq)
217,014
651,042
Total GHG emissions reduction (t CO2-eq)
407,479
1,222,438
88,582
265,747
Energy savings from BSFL meal (MWh)
354,088
1,062,264
Energy savings from frass (MWh)
602,024
1,806,071
Total energy savings (MWh)
956,112
2,868,335
87,316
261,948
• GHG emissions equivalent (passenger vehicles per year)
• Number of average homes in the northwestern United States that can be powered for one year by energy savings
Source: Original table for this publication. Note: BSFL = black soldier fly larvae; CO2-eq = carbon dioxide equivalent; GHG = greenhouse gas; MWh = megawatt-hours; t = tons.
BSFL feed and frass production require less energy than traditional livestock feed and synthetic fertilizer production. Replacing 6 to 17 percent of traditional animal feed production with BSFL meal production reduces energy consumption by 354,088 to 1,062,264 megawatt-hours (MWh). Replacing synthetic NPK fertilizer with an equivalent quantity of frass reduces energy needs by 602,024 to 1,806,071 MWh. Total energy savings from BSFL frass and meal production are 956,112 or 2,868,335 MWh, depending on the crop conversion rate. Table 4.25 summarizes these GHG emissions reductions and energy savings from BSFL-derived meal and frass production. Extended Five-Crop Results Aggregated for Africa The calculations in this section were extended to all of Africa. The five crops analyzed for Zimbabwe—maize, wheat, soybean, groundnut, and sugarcane—are pervasive throughout Africa. According to the FAO, maize and sugarcane, in particular, ranked second and third behind cassava as the most produced crops in Africa, by tonnage, from 2013 to 2018. Wheat consistently ranked among the top 10 in tons produced; groundnut ranked among the top 20; and soybean, while not as pervasive as the other four crops, ranked 45th in 2013 and consistently moved up in the rankings each 164
Insect and Hydroponic Farming in Africa
