Waste Collection & Processing

 An Integral Part of a Hub and Spoke BSFL Model in Myanmar

By Associate Professor David Allan (adjunct) OAM,
Spectrum – Sustainable Development Knowledge Network, Myanmar

Myanmar is a country in crisis, experiencing repeated economic shocks. After the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing political upheaval, and repeated natural disasters, the economy is really struggling. In the predominantly farming and natural resource based economy, employment is a national problem, and farmers face shortages of income, operating funds, and capital. On top of that, fuel and commodity prices for high protein feed materials remain high, putting additional pressure on production systems.

But in this same context, opportunities also exist. Myanmar is rich in natural resources and agricultural waste, has strong aquaculture and small livestock sectors, and benefits from a tropical monsoonal climate – ideal conditions for insect farming. Spectrum has operated since 2007 in Myanmar, and has been working on relevant insect farming models since around 2013. Initial work focused first on surveying national practices of insects for food, development of a recipe book and TV series for insect cooking, before further focus on insects for feed.

“High transport costs actually become an advantage – encouraging decentralised resource use.”

Small Decentralised or Large Scale Insect Factories for Myanmar?

Globally, large-scale Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) factories are capturing headlines. Yet, in Myanmar, this model runs into serious hurdles. High capital requirements, scarce financing, process complexity, equipment availability and scaling challenges all undermine this economic viability of this model. In a country where transport is relatively costly and sales commitments are fragile, the “big factory” approach hasn’t yet made sense.

The Case for Decentralisation

What Myanmar does have are enablers for a different model. Social media provides a powerful platform for knowledge sharing and self-help grower groups. Low-cost monitoring tools are widely available. Resources suitable for BSFL feed and wastes are scattered, but also abundant. And critically, local poultry and aquaculture farmers urgently need alternative protein sources.

This is where the Hub & Spoke model comes in. Instead of concentrating production in one big factory, smaller “cells” handle waste collection, BSFL breeding and rearing at a local level, supported by training, research, and coordination from a central hub. Farmers use what they produce locally, bypassing marketing and transport costs, while the hub focuses on training, research, and scaling support.

The model is specifically designed to:

• Simplify processes and roles
• Keep capital requirements low
• Allow creative, locally adapted implementation
• Capitalisation on diverse waste and other resources
• Permit demand and markets to build gradually
• Overcome high transport costs
• Train a distributed and ever-growing network of farmers.

Essential to the model are including the waste collectors in a growers cell, along with breeders and growers. The decentralized approach is perhaps more relevant in developing countries.

Diagram 1 – Single cell model for component illustrations.

Structure of the “Hub & Spoke” Model

The components of the model are as follows and shown in the diagrams. The vast majority of the waste collectors, BSFL breeders and growers are women:

• Around a dozen or so BSFL growers in one cell
• In each cell, a BSFL breeder to supply neonate larvae to the growers
• In each cell, a waste / resource collector to supplement growers needs
• Many cells are serviced by one central farm, for training and support

Diagram 2 – Combination of many waste cells showing basis of large scale production potential.

What Waste and Resource Collectors Can Offer

A diversity of waste is needed to get balanced nutrition for BSFL and improve growth performance on some of the more fibrous wastes like water hyacinth. Social research with waste pickers shows strong interest and clear market opportunities for separation of organics from waste resources, with major potential benefits for improving their livelihoods. Building waste pickers into the “hub and spoke” model has been successful, as it allows decentralized functioning. In addition to normal market waste products (vegetable waste, fish waste, etc.) other local resources have been developed for use in BSFL production.

In the model, the “waste collectors” provide waste and other substrate resources to the growers, to allow the growers to focus more on BSFL growing and their other farming activities (usually poultry raising and aquaculture).

Research and trials have yielded promising results – particularly with invasive species such as water hyacinth and banana pseudostem (tree trunk). Banana trees are productive for only one year only, then leaving significant waste after producing three or four bunches of bananas.

Using invasive species such as water hyacinth for a substrate has been highly successful, while also delivering environmental services like clearing waterways and reducing the public costs involved.

Nutrition-based substrate design – combining staples (fermented water hyacinth) with seasonal fruit (particular fallen or sub-standard mangoes and sub-standard banana fruit and jackfruit) or protein inputs (Eg. fish wastes) – have proven effective without needing to be “perfect.”  Surprises have emerged too: fermented banana pseudostems have turned out to be excellent local feedstocks.

Fermentation techniques similar to the water hyacinth have been effective and nutrition supplementation trials have delivered good conversion results.

In addition to fish wastes, trials of invasive “pleco” fish as nutrition boosts for substrates have been successful, and will please fish farmers who have a major difficulty in finding productive use of these unwanted, rapid growing and net damaging fish.

For future developments, hopes are that microbial technology and fermentation can assist conversion improvement of high availability localized substrates materials like rice straw as well, to reduce black carbon emissions and climate impact from open burning.

On the output side, frass (the residue from BSFL production) is showing great promise, both as fertiliser and also as feed. While fertiliser benefits of frass are well publicized elsewhere, use of frass as feed is less common.

With an amino acid profile about one-third of the BSF larvae themselves, frass can be included directly in some feeds without separation. This simplifies processes, increases protein yields, and supports aquatic plant growth.

For BSFL growers / fish farmers, this translates into a “whole of production” feed system with added value for local aquaculture.

Monitoring & Scaling

Monitoring and evaluation of the “hub & spoke” model doesn’t need to be complicated. Citizen science approaches and simple digital scales allow smallholders to track breeding, production, and substrate inputs effectively.

Results so far show that small and distributed systems can be robust and well-documented through social media groups without expensive technology.

Small scale aquaculture trials with BSFL Protein

Various small scale trials have been conducted for local aquaculture species. While some relative weight gain trials have been done, mostly palatability trials have been done.

All species have shown positive palatability results, with 12 species tested being so far:

• Climbing Perch (Anabas testudineus)
• Stinging Catfish (Heteropneustes fossilis)
• Walking Catfish (Clarias batrachus)
• Swamp Eel (Monopterus albus)
• Pacu (Piaractus brachypomus)
• Nga Dan (Pangasius hypophthalmus)
• Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio)
• Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)
• Mrigal Carp (Cirrhinus cirrhosus)
• Rohu (Labeo rohita)
• Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)
• White Legged Shrimp (L. Vannamei).

What’s Next?

At present, the picture is clear: Myanmar’s context supports a Hub & Spoke BSFL model. Diverse substrate trials, strong aquaculture results, and emerging genetics opportunities all point to viability. What’s needed now is investment in training, low-cost research, and ongoing operating support and capital to help expand these systems.

Farmers currently consume much of their own production, bypassing marketing and distribution costs. The hub provides oversight, training, and ongoing innovation.

As expansion continues, BSFL farming can turn waste into protein, improve local food security, reduce environmental impacts, and create resilient livelihoods—all while working within Myanmar’s challenging but resource-rich context.

Future expansion will allow growth beyond the domestic self use market, and in time perhaps development of enough market supply of BSFL for inclusion as a feed ingredient in the many operating feed mills.

Key Takeaways

• Large BSFL factories aren’t currently viable in Myanmar.
• Decentralised Hub & Spoke systems match local conditions.
• Waste streams = feedstock; use of invasive species add environmental benefits.
• Frass inclusion in aquaculture feed simplifies processes & boosts yields.
• Citizen science strengthens monitoring and scaling.

With grateful thanks to WorldFish for early model development assistance, Raise and CISU of Denmark for support in model rollout, and implementing partner KSM in Myanmar.

Enjoyed reading this article? You can read the full issue of our Beta Buzz #6: From Waste To Value publication here