Ethiopia’s Food Crisis: Black Soldier Flies Offer a New Solution

Name: A Fly on the Wall | Delila Kidanu, MBA ’27
Uploaded: 2026-04-03T20:01:13.509737+00:00
Duration: 8 min 57 s
Channel: Stanford Graduate School of Business
Description: Summary and key takeaways on A Fly on the Wall | Delila Kidanu, MBA ’27: Summary & Key Takeaways, covering Personal Connection to Ethiopia Ethiopia stands out

Stanford Graduate School of Business

Apr 03, 2026

•

8 min video

•

2 min read

YouTube video ID: OkOxYzlcBNo

Source: YouTube video by Stanford Graduate School of Business — Watch original video

PDF

Ethiopia stands out as the only African nation never colonized and as the keeper of the Ark of the Covenant. International media, however, often reduces the country to images of famine, poverty, and swarms of flies, turning those insects into symbols of neglect and fragility. The speaker recalls a deep cultural pride that clashes with these external perceptions, noting that “the fly had turned into a symbol of neglect, of fragility, and it was something I didn't want anything to do with.” This tension frames the need to look beyond superficial judgments.

Discovery of Black Soldier Fly Technology

A visit to a farm near Nairobi, Kenya, introduced the black soldier fly (BSF) as a surprising solution. Initial visceral rejection gave way to understanding when the speaker observed larvae converting organic waste into high‑protein animal feed and organic fertilizer. The technology reframes waste from a problem to a resource, embodying the idea that “we have an abundance of organic waste, but we keep searching for imported, massive solutions, and ignoring the ones that are buzzing right in front of us.”

How the BSF Process Works

Collect organic waste from local markets and neighborhoods.
Feed the waste to black soldier fly larvae.
Larvae consume the waste, preventing it from entering landfills and producing methane.
Harvest the larvae as high‑protein animal feed and the residual material as organic fertilizer.

Challenges in Ethiopia

Ethiopia confronts a dual burden: widespread food insecurity and massive organic waste accumulation. Approximately 80 % of organic waste—about 8 million tons—ends up in landfills, generating methane and exacerbating climate stress, especially during recurring El Niño events. Protein scarcity fuels stunting, malnutrition, and reduced productivity. Cultural resistance labels insects as “backward,” and regulatory concerns led the government to shut down a pilot BSF project, fearing flies in the food system. The speaker emphasizes that “quick judgments shrink insects, but they also shrink entire countries.”

Redefining Development

Development must move beyond what looks advanced to what actually works. The speaker argues that “if we can look at a fly and turn it from a nuisance into infrastructure, from neglect to nourishment, then so too can we give Ethiopia that same reconsideration.” This perspective challenges the flattening of nations to their worst moments and calls for functional, locally sourced solutions rather than imported, massive interventions.

Implications for the Future

By embracing BSF technology, Ethiopia could transform waste into a sustainable protein source, reduce methane emissions, and build resilience against climate shocks. The shift illustrates that “there's more than one way to look at a fly,” and that redefining symbols can unlock innovative pathways for fragile yet resilient societies.

Takeaways

Ethiopia faces severe food insecurity and large organic waste, with 80% of waste (about 8 million tons) ending in landfills and generating methane.
Black soldier fly larvae can convert that waste into high‑protein animal feed and organic fertilizer, turning a pollution problem into a resource.
Cultural and regulatory resistance in Ethiopia, including the shutdown of a pilot project, stems from perceptions that insects are backward and unsuitable for modern agriculture.
Reframing symbols like the fly from neglect to infrastructure illustrates how shifting perspectives can unlock innovative, locally‑sourced solutions for fragile nations.
Prioritizing functional, waste‑based technologies over imported, large‑scale solutions can address protein scarcity, reduce methane emissions, and build resilience in Ethiopia’s agricultural system.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do black soldier fly larvae transform organic waste into animal feed?

Black soldier fly larvae ingest organic waste, rapidly converting it into protein‑rich biomass. The harvested larvae are dried and processed into high‑protein animal feed, while the leftover material becomes organic fertilizer, preventing waste from reaching landfills and cutting methane emissions.

Why was the speaker’s pilot project shut down in Ethiopia?

Authorities halted the pilot because they feared that introducing flies into the food system would be culturally unacceptable and could be seen as a regression to “backward” practices, despite the technology’s potential to solve waste and protein shortages.

Who is Stanford Graduate School of Business on YouTube?

Stanford Graduate School of Business is a YouTube channel that publishes videos on a range of topics. Browse more summaries from this channel below.

Does this page include the full transcript of the video?

Yes, the full transcript for this video is available on this page. Click 'Show transcript' in the sidebar to read it.

How the BSF Process Works

1. Collect organic waste from local markets and neighborhoods. 2. Feed the waste to black soldier fly larvae. 3. Larvae consume the waste, preventing it from entering landfills and producing methane. 4. Harvest the larvae as high‑protein animal feed and the residual material as organic fertilizer.

Helpful resources related to this video

If you want to practice or explore the concepts discussed in the video, these commonly used tools may help.

Black Soldier Fly Larvae Starter Kit Recommended

Provides the necessary equipment to begin composting organic waste using larvae, which is the core technology discussed in the video.

Amazon →

Compost Bin For Organic Waste

Essential for managing and collecting organic waste efficiently before processing it into fertilizer or feed.

Amazon →

Books On Sustainable Urban Agriculture

Provides broader context on innovative farming techniques and sustainable food systems that align with the speaker's vision.

Amazon →

Organic Waste Management Guide Book

Offers practical knowledge on how to handle and repurpose organic waste, supporting the speaker's argument for waste-to-resource systems.

Amazon →

Links may be affiliate links. We only include resources that are genuinely relevant to the topic.

Summarize another video

Full Transcript YouTube

When I think of home,
I get a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.
I can almost smell my mom's incense, the
cardamom, the hot teapot on the stove.
I can remember playing outside with my
friends, our feet covered in the red
soil.
When I think of these images, it fills
me with so much joy.
And when I close my eyes,
I am home.
I'm sure all of you can recognize that
feeling.
Today, I wanted to tell you a little bit
about my home.
My country is the only country in Africa
that has never been colonized.
We are the keepers of the Ark of the
Covenant, and we're the only country in
the world that produces if.
It's an input to our indigenous food.
This is how I see my home,
Ethiopia.
But this is not how everybody sees it.
They see it in famine,
they see it in poverty,
and they often see it through UN
advertisements.
Who here has ever seen a UN ad?
For those of you who haven't,
it's often a close-up on a child's face
who's starving.
And in the background, you have a
community that's been devastated by a
climate event.
And on the child's face,
there's always
always, and I heard somebody say it,
there's always a fly. And I hate that
fly.
It has followed me since I was a child.
Every time my country's been
represented.
And on the playground outside of
Ethiopia,
whenever I went to play,
the kids had already seen my country.
They'd seen the images, they'd seen the
fly.
They looked at me with pity.
Over and over, on the playground,
they touched their faces,
showing me the fly,
so I would never forget.
That fly had turned into a symbol of
neglect, of fragility,
and it was something I didn't want
anything to do with.
So, fast forward a few years,
and I moved to Nairobi, Kenya.
A friend of mine asked me to come and
visit her farm.
She had a new innovation she wanted to
show me,
and I obliged. I went to that farm.
When I walked into her greenhouse, the
first thing that hit me
was an overwhelming scent, or smell, of
putrid, rotten fruits and vegetables.
Next was an overwhelming heat, thick and
all-consuming.
But worst of all,
and I'm embarrassed to say that it was
the last thing I noticed, worst of all
were the hundreds and thousands of flies
hovering, buzzing, crawling all over. I
looked at my hands and feet, and they
were covered in flies. I couldn't
understand why anyone would do this, let
alone my friend.
What was she doing here? This was my
worst nightmare.
Outside, after I dusted off the flies,
she started explaining to me.
She was putting the flies to work.
She was collecting organic waste from
the surrounding areas and feeding it to
these flies.
And what came out the other end
was not poverty, was not rotten, and it
was not disease. It was high-protein
animal feed
and organic fertilizer, ready for the
market.
And I was astonished.
Those tiny flies,
they were doing a massive job. They're
black soldier flies, she told me,
and they
can turn what we throw away as trash
into something of value.
I had always seen the flies as something
of value. But in that instant,
they were not. I was looking at a
solution.
I was looking at technology, labor,
and infrastructure. And my mind
immediately went home.
I started thinking of Ethiopia,
a country that struggles to feed itself.
We have a protein scarcity.
We have an abundance of organic waste,
but we keep searching for imported,
massive solutions,
and ignoring the ones that are buzzing
right in front of us.
But
in Ethiopia,
we are sitting at the intersection of
fragility
and resilience.
We go through cycles of climate events,
such as El Niño and drought,
and even though we have a long
agricultural history and an abundance of
rural labor,
food insecurity has become systematic
and not episodic.
Millions of families are oscillating
between subsistence and scarcity.
But that's not the only issue. We also
have a protein scarcity.
And when protein is scarce, it leads to
stunting, to malnutrition,
and it leads to a loss of productivity
for an entire generation.
When protein is scarce,
development slows,
quietly,
but persistently.
But this is not the only issue.
In Ethiopia, 80% of organic waste ends
up in landfill.
That's about 8 million tons.
And that waste doesn't just disappear.
It turns into methane.
So, Ethiopia faces a dual burden,
food insecurity
and an abundance of organic waste.
Often, these two problems are seen as
completely opposing.
But I do not believe that they are.
So, I decided to build my own greenhouse
with my own flies,
and I collected organic waste from local
markets and fed it to the flies.
We produced high-protein animal feed and
organic waste ready for the market.
But here's where the story gets a bit
upsetting.
The government shut us down.
They didn't want flies
in their food system.
I was heartbroken,
but I understood.
At first glance, flies look like
contamination.
They look like backwardness, the
opposite of progress.
And in Ethiopia, things that don't look
right, they struggle to take root.
And black soldier flies, they're
unfamiliar.
They look nothing like modern
agriculture,
and
they invoke an instinctive rejection
inside us. The same one that I had when
I entered my friend's greenhouse all
those years ago.
But I don't believe that the resistance
to the flies is just about that.
It's about what looks developed, what
feels advanced.
And for me,
the flies that I grew up hating,
they never changed,
but my perspective of them did.
And maybe that's the real lesson here,
that our perspectives need to change.
Because
not only do quick judgments shrink
insects, but they also shrink entire
countries.
And Ethiopia has been seen as a country
full of famine
or in poverty.
But so too have other countries been
reduced to their worst moments.
We flatten them
and we write them off.
But if we can look at a fly
and turn it from a nuisance into
infrastructure,
from neglect to nourishment,
then so too can we give Ethiopia that
same reconsideration.
If I can look at a fly today and see
value and see labor,
then I can look at Ethiopia and see
innovation. I can see hope, and I can
see a country that in the
not-too-distant future can feed itself.
There's more than one way
to look at a fly.
There's more than one way to look at
Ethiopia,
and there's more than one way to look at
poverty itself.
And when we're able to change our
perspective, we're able to change what
becomes possible.
And I look forward to welcoming you all
to my black soldier fly farm in the near
future. Thank you very much.