Abstract

Insect farming as food and feed has gained popularity. Insects require less land and water and are efficient in feed-food conversion, making them a sustainable alternative source of protein for food fortification and feed formulation. Some insects play a vital role in bio-remediation of organic waste as they feed on waste breaking it down to frass that has the potential to be used as an organic fertilizer in food production. Insects therefore, have great potential to contribute to climate-smart farming. This research explored the potential of cricket frass as an organic fertilizer for growing Cleome gynandra. Different levels of cricket frass and cow manure were as follows: 10, 15, and 20 t/ha; 100, 150, and 200 kg/ha of Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP) and a control (no fertilizer) were used for the experiments. One experiment was sent in a controlled environment inside a greenhouse and a second one in the open field. In the greenhouse, Completely Block Design (CBD) was used while in the open field Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) was used. Parameters observed were plant height, number of leaves and biomass weight. Results showed that crops treated with frass gave longest plants, most number of leaves and had the heaviest biomass weight.

Key words: Organic farming, frass, chemical fertilizer, small-scale farmers.