Locusts turned into animal feed - 15th March 2021

Locusts are insects which cause lots of problems for farmers. They feed on farmers' crops.

In recent years, East Africa has had terrible problems with locusts. But a Kenyan NGO (or non-government organisation) has a solution.

The NGO is called The Bug Picture. It's training local communities to collect the locusts. The locusts are then made into feed for animals.

During the day, locusts are almost impossible to catch. But during the night, they are asleep. They can't move. People can collect them easily.

People are given money for the locusts that they collect. The insects are weighed and then turned into animal feed for fish, chickens, cows and pigs. Locusts make good food for animals because they are 70% protein.

Feeding animals can be expensive. But using the locusts makes it cheaper for farmers.

So far, the project has collected over two tonnes of locusts. The Bug Picture hopes the project will be a useful solution to future locust problems.