Agri-waste to Feed & Fertilizer Industry

Millions of smallholders, and large estates, in the Global South suffer from low productivity, and revenue. Aquaculture is underdeveloped mainly due to cost of feed, while oil palm estates use expensive chemical herbicides, and fertilizers with undesirable health, and environmental impacts. Yet, estates harvest frond daily, year round, and this material can now enter the food chain. Successful process and feed trials demonstrated Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) rearing, a globally accepted replacement for fish meal in aquaculture diets, from oil palm frond. Millions of metric tonnes per year of fish meal replacement, at lower cost, will stimulate the aquaculture industry, while estates  improve tree and weed maintenance, and apply abundant fertilizer to achieve high productivity gains, justifying the freeze on expansion of the estates. Further biotechnology applications are identified to further increase oil palm sustainability, while the process can be transferred to other agri-wastes.

Millions of palm oil smallholders, and large estates, suffer due to low manpower budgets to maintain cost effectiveness. Productivity below 50% has been a false market share solution, also driving estate expansion. Natural fertilizing and weeding would permit removal of chemical herbicide, and fertilizers, with their undesirable health, economic, and environmental impacts. Bringing selected palm oil waste into the economy, brings manpower, and revenue to the estates, while by-product, high quality fertilizer guarantees productivity, and revenue gains. Insect meal is globally accepted as aquaculture feed, while oil palm estates harvest frond daily, year round, as agri-waste. The aquaculture industry is underdeveloped. mainly due to cost of unsustainable fish meal, and expansion can generate millions of jobs. Our biotechnology-processed frond, pre-consumer substrate appeals to insects and enhances meal nutritional, and health qualities. We have developed and prototyped the process inclusive of harvest, biotechnology, insect rearing, feed production, and aquaculture feed trials. Our platform is applicable to other agricultural wastes worldwide, inclusive within developing countries. While the adoption, and integration to aquaculture and livestock needs to be through large scale farm operations, the technology can be immediately available to smallholders.

Successful process and feed trials, completed at Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries, establish this ready-to-commercialize Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) feed for livestock from agri-waste. Biotechnology developed makes the agri-waste into an insect ready feed, also permitting optimization of BSFL meal and lipid as replacement for fish meal in aquaculture, and other livestock diets. The extant hurdle, to date, is lack of safe, pre-consumer feed for insects. Regularly harvested, millions of metric tonnes per year of fish meal replacement, at lower cost, will be produced from oil palm frond alone. The feed will stimulate the aquaculture industry. At the estates, improved tree and weed maintenance, with application of the abundant, by-product, high quality fertilizer, will achieve high productivity gains. In oil palm, such increase in productivity justifies freezing expansion of oil palm estates. Oil production can be doubled on current estates. Further biotechnology applications improve feed, and fertilizer value, while the biotechnology can be applied in other agri-industries, supporting aquaculture, and livestock farming sustainably. Sustainably utilizing agri-waste, removing fish meal and soya meal from the food chain, increasing oil and fats production on existing land, are all outcomes with huge positive impact at scale.

Millions of palm oil smallholders, and large estates, in the Global South suffer from low productivity levels. Inserting the platform, can more than double employment on estates, and provide opportunities for entrepreneurial livestock and aquaculture farming, potentially integrated to estates. Low cost livestock and aquaculture feed will support National Food Security programs. Aquaculture needs to double by 2030. Low cost aquaculture feed is a global solution to global climate change, and sustainable ocean management.

Matching a solution to problematic agri-waste, with the production of sustainable feed, and fertilizer, can guarantee positive impact on agriculture in virtually every country, including the developing world. Selecting oil palm estates as the first agri-industry application, tackles global oils and fats sustainability. Oil palm isn't less sustainable than soya bean oil, as it produces far more per hectare. The industry operates at less than 50% capacity per unit area because of low prices. Changing this dynamic can remove the pressure for more estates and forest loss, transferring investment to higher productivity, existing estates.

This platform of biotechnology transformation, wherever non-manure agri-waste is unsustainably utilized, will produce similar positive impacts, while being customizable to crops and regions.

The platform delivers at scale against multiple global problems, including climate change, loss of biodiversity, pollution of land and sea, and inequitable distribution of food security. The principles of low carbon feed inputs lead to more sustainable insect production, and aquaculture. Agri-waste is underutilized, yet globally available at low cost. Every developing country has an agrarian base, with agri-waste unsustainably disposed. High quality livestock feed, and high value fertilizer, available with low investment, bring improved agricultural output, soil improvement, and livestock production for gender-neutral, entrepreneurial opportunities to smallholders, while changing large scale farming to a more sustainable, and balanced model.

Insect production replaces fish meal, soya bean meal, and other unsustainable sources of protein, and lipids, while generating high quality fertilizer. Our solution provides access to the substrate that is required to feed insects, processing agricultural waste, which is in vast supply in every country of the world. In our project, we initially adopted oil palm frond waste.

Oil palm produces more oil per unit area than soyabean, owning an equivalent global market share. Estates are largely smallholder operated, and employ millions. Oil palm is percieved to replace tropical forest, unlike soya. There is no reverse gear on oil palm estates. However, they operate at below 50% of proven productivity. The waste fronds are generated daily, year round from every estate. Removing a percentage to be processed to insect feed substrate, has numerous advantages.

Harvesting for bio-conversion of the waste, manpower enters the estate, increasing manual weeding. High quality fertilizer by-product replaces chemical. Estates increase productivity by 10 to 50%. Higher revenue decreases pressure to open new estates. Low cost aquaculture feed  is producable in millions of metric tonnes, between Malaysia and Indonesia alone. 

The onset of insect meal in agriculture suffers from lack of substrate. Our main innovation is in overcoming the lack while utilizing agricultural waste. Aquaculture suffers from high cost feed input. Agri-waste is problematic in many parts of the world, and giving it value, while producing fertilzer, expands agriculture's potential. These advances are low carbon conversions of major parts of the global food chain.

Our bio-technology primarily involves collection, preparation,-fermentation, and utilization of agricultural waste. Using biotechnology we optimize conversion to insect feed substrate, with properties that enhance the food value of produced insects. Insect meal is well established globally, and accepted to enter the food chain, particularly as aquaculture feed. The main hurdle to production is a lack of uncontaminated, pre-consumer substrate. We have tested the process on oil palm frond, that is sufficient in daily production to supply millions of metric tonnes of end product insect meal per year, in Malaysia and Indonesia alone, from this one agri-industry. This process converts the immense global amount of unused agricultural waste to feed of high quality and value, and fertilizer by-product. We have developed the feed production from insect meal, and verified its performance on salt water and fresh water species.

Our research is being published academically. We have initiated the technlogy that generates the optimum substrate, at the Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries. We are also involved in commercial validations for an independent insect rearing company, who employed us to produce and test feed from their produced insects. We continue testing the product on both fresh water and salt water aquaculture species (finfish and crustacenas) in our 4,000 sq. m. experimental hatchery.

We are ready to construct a low cost production facility which will be able to support community aquaculture farms. Inputs to production, including agreements for supply of substrate, land, utilities, and linkages with Government for approvals are all immediately accessible.

Please refer to the above, and the following section. Our development, testing and application of this technology is ongoing. As a non-profit, we are publishing academically, while we are also pursuing IP applications. We have a long history of technology development, academic research, industrial cooperation programs, and community development.

Many estimates exist, but in developing countries, upwards of 200 million metric tonnes per year of non-manure, agri-waste is produced, seeks disposal, and is un-utilized. Converting this waste to millions of tonnes of high value feed is now possible. In the initially selected palm oil industry alone, there is a calculated potential for millions of tonnes of feed, and of fertilizer, able to be produced from accessible agricultural waste, in Malaysia and Indonesia alone.

We are producing academic articles that present the experimental results,  and quantify the process operational parameters defined by prototype testing. We are progressing application for IP of the biotechnoloy process application. We will further author papers on the impact of the technology on improved sustainability of agriculture, under various crop scenarios. We have documented the positive impacts on an initial agri-industry, based on research into its operational characteristics. The utility of by-product fertilizer, and positive operational effects of the collection and processing of waste, have been calculated.  Further, we assess the impact of enabling farmers to access increased aquaculture and livestock production using locally produced feed, capable of replacing fish meal and soya bean meal.

The impact of localizing feed production alone is enormously positive. The concept removes significant carbon costs of transport and, production. This sustainable agriculture system has not been in need of a market survey, at this juncture. Continuous work with community and industrial development by the Institute, for upflift, provide the market assessment. Further academic, and commercial research does need to be performed. Despite the prototype establishing commercial potential, the process can be further improved. The biotechnology employed permits optimization of feed and fertilizer outcomes.

The Institute has a long history of delivering development to community farmers willing to explore this technology. Estate owners, and farmers are available to participate from the target groups. 

The Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries lays claim to a set of community development programs, which have positively impacted >10,000 individuals over the past decade.

The current program is at prototype stage. It is nonetheless verified in research and will be the subject of further funding applications. Funding is sought to work with an existing partner for commercial scale pilot and growth.

Our team is fundamentally non-profit, while we support industrial partners. Revenues contribute to the operation of an outstanding academic institution of higher learning providing education from technical outreach up to PhD by coursework and research. In our view, application of the technology, through our efforts alone, will help >10,000 people in the next year. Within five years, with our anticipated expansion, and the ultimate target of millions of tonnes per annum of high quality feed, we can reach millions.

From the current date:

Year One:
Commercial pilot and growth at several oil palm estates, and rice paddy farm cooperatives. One State in Malaysia, and one location in Bangladesh. The model for replication is promulgated.

Year Two:

Obtaining funding to scale. Connecting with Ministries of Agriculture, and Fisheries in Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Cambodia (ongoing at present).

Development of commercial sharecropping concept to bring the technology to a large number of smallholders (rice paddy and palm oil).

Working with larger estates.

Supporting development of aquaculture projects based on the application.

Working with other Non-Profits (i.e., WorldFish) to obtain funding for demonstrations.

Year Three to Five:

Expansion in the 3 countries with industrial, Government, and non-profit partners.

Primarily, the barrier is funding. Being a Non-Profit in the Global South, our model is to secure available funding for academic research, and funding from industry who will benefit from the technology.

In the Global South, these revenues are unspectacular. With the achievement of commercial pilot in this instance, we expect to see more substantial interest in investment for commercial development.

We have formed a team of participants from Ministries of Agriculture, and Fisheries, other Non-profit institutions, and agri-industrial investors in Malaysia, Cambodia, and Bangladesh. We developed a Scaling Assessment, and have some initial agreements in place.

Primarily, the barrier is funding. Being a Non-Profit in the Global South, our model is to secure available funding for academic research, and funding from industry who will benefit from the technology.

In the Global South, these revenues are unspectacular. With the achievement of commercial pilot in this instance, we expect to see more substantial interest in investment for commercial development. At the same time, the cost basis that we operate at ensures high value of return for investment. Our technological level, and facilities, are world class.

We have formed a team of participants from Ministries of Agriculture, and Fisheries, other Non-profit institutions, and agri-industrial investors in Malaysia, Cambodia, and Bangladesh. We developed a Scaling Assessment, and have some initial agreements in place. However, what is in place is designed for incremental improvement to date, with only uncommitted funding. We must continue to apply for incremental funding to continue the program.

I have developed this technology during PhD at Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries, University Malaysia Terengganu, which carries out non-profit community development and business partnerships to advance aquaculture and fisheries. I provide consultancy to the Institute in submissions of International bids for development. We are able to merge non-profit, academic research, with both funded development work, and commercial business entrepreneurship, and do so in the spirit of equality, and achievement of the SDGs.

Full time: 50

Part time: 50

Contractors: 10

Other: Partners with their own resources, similar to ours

Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries has decades of experience developing aquaculture feed, production systems, cultured species, and commercial and community projects.

Our partners range from Government, entrepreneurs, and successful businesses, to other non-profit institutions.

The Institute members have long records individually, with focus on different aspects of aquaculture and fisheries. The funding acquired by each is sometimes collaborative. Funding has been received from Government to develop or implement prototype systems, and products. Industrial cooperation has yielded funding to carry out industrial research, such as into the conversion of insect production into viable aquaculture feed, and the testing of the feed on a range of species to verify the product scientifically.

The programs operated by the Institute over the past decades include field operations of commercial and community programs and production systems. This relationship with industry facilitated working with a large estate to develop the agricultural waste harvesting and processing needed to provide the input substrate to the current process. The Institute funded the equipment for the prototype biotechnology for conversion of the substrate into insect feed, the equipment and supplies for insect rearing to produce insect product, the conversion of product to fish meal, and the testing of fish meal on a variety of species.

Communities in several States, where we deliver eco-system services to enhance agricultural production.

Non-profits with whom we address funding opportunities for global development to scale.

Private businesses whom we support as technology providers for various culture systems, species rearing expertise, and feed production. These are located around Malaysia, in Bangladesh, Philippines, and Cambodia.

See Business Model Canvas

We have a history, and we follow those modalities in delivery of this technology.

The Institute proceeds with development as a non-profit. We are based in the Global South and our struggle is finance, much as it is globally for non-profits. 

There are many projects underway at the Institute. This project has great promise in terms of scale. Therefore, simply, we need a "foot in the door" to present this technology such that it may be noticed and receive further funding. 

Scenario 1: some recognition but no seed funding. We translate publicity by pursuing Government funding for our project commercial testing.

Scenario 2: we will recieve a modicum of funding sufficient for a commercial test at minimum operational levels. We are fully prepared to input the complimentary resources to make this possible. We will pursue commercial testing on this basis, and pursue further funding to increase capacity to achieve full commercial operation (at a single location).

We understand the need to achieve a full commercial operation before the process can be expanded to scale. 

In a further scenario, which may proceed from the preceding, we will receive sufficient funding to achieve full commercial operation at one location. In this instance, we would be prepared to engage in formalization of the business entity, equity allocation, etc., to support a substantial investor. Our objective is scale, beyond the single commercial operation.

Outside of selecting partners who will be able to fund the development of scale, we maintain our core focus on academic research.

The technology has enormous scope for diversification. The biotechnology route permits optimization of insect generated feed and fertilizer as a first objective of research. There is additional potential to extract numerous compounds, and produce other products, which have purposes outside feed and fertilizer.

Our Institute provides a well-equipped facility in Malaysia, with English language yet central to Asia, delivering high quality higher education to PhD level by course work and research. The cost base of operation in Malaysia is very low compared with Western countries, for researchers and students alike. The 4,000 square meter experimental hatchery we operate is a prime example of the scale of potential. We have ready cooperation with many SEA and Asian nations.

The Institute welcomes cooperation from more developed countries as means to advance our goals of improving and delivering higher education in South East Asia, and Asia. This project could hopefully open doors for other project cooperation.

The Institute welcomes students from afflicted countries. We maintain some of the lowest costs for such students to achieve higher education. Malaysia is a Muslim country and this is an important compatability for many of this target group. The Muslim faith and institutions in Malaysia themselves provide strong support mechanisms for students.

Malaysia has achieved a higher female graduation rate than male in higher education. There are reasons for this, where equality is realized, and they should be promoted.

Millions of palm oil smallholders, and large estates, in the Global South suffer from low productivity levels. Inserting the platform, can more than double employment on estates, and provide opportunities for entrepreneurial livestock and aquaculture farming, potentially integrated to estates. Low cost livestock and aquaculture feed will support National Food Security programs. Aquaculture needs to double by 2030. Low cost aquaculture feed is a global solution to global climate change, and sustainable ocean management.

Matching a solution to problematic agri-waste, with the production of sustainable feed, and fertilizer, can guarantee positive impact on agriculture in virtually every country, including the developing world. Selecting oil palm estates as the first agri-industry application, tackles global oils and fats sustainability. Oil palm isn't less sustainable than soya bean oil, as it produces far more per hectare. The industry operates at less than 50% capacity per unit area because of low prices. Changing this dynamic can remove the pressure for more estates and forest loss, transferring investment to higher productivity, existing estates.

This platform of biotechnology transformation, wherever non-manure agri-waste is unsustainably utilized, will produce similar positive impacts, while being customizable to crops and regions.

As a non-profit, we are aware of the importance of producing commercial business solutions to environmental and social problems. The creation of entrepreneurial opportunity is fundamental to sustainable development. Brining our technology to successful commercial realization, brings massive rural employment, removes waste to a sustainable purpose, supports sustainable food systems such as low carbon insect and aquaculture production, and genuinely combats climate change and biodiversity loss.

In a nutshell, we will commercialize this technology.