European Union [NESTLER] and Rockefeller Foundation through International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) jointly with the Centre for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR- ICRAF) organized a side-event during the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health [AFSH] summit titled “Agroecological and Regenerative Innovations for Soil Health and Sustainable Production”. This side-event was attended by a total of 114 participants (65 males & 49 females). Ms. Carla Montesi (Director, European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG EU-INTPA) was one of the panellists among others like ICIPE; Regen Organics Limited, Kenya; The Insectary, Kenya; Boston Consulting Group (BCG); CHANZI Ltd, Kenya; InsectiPro Ltd, Kenya; CIFOR- ICRAF and the Rockefeller Foundation. Main recommendations from the side event included:

  1. Foster greater collaboration between research and private sector to drive the development and commercialization of organic farm inputs.
  2. Advocate for the combined use of organic and inorganic fertilizers for optimal results and conduct proper quality control for –insect frass fertilizers.
  3. Drive the co-existence of centralized and decentralized models to achieve a 10% organic fertilizer application within 5 years.
  4. Foster the building of a thriving ecosystem focused on collaborations.
  5. Incentivize SMEs producing organic fertilizers while promoting environmental sustainability.
  6. Champion policy, financial support and subsidies from governments to propel the organic fertilizer industry.
Participants at the side-event organized during the Africa Fertilizer & Soil Health Summit, Nairobi, Kenya
Photo from Africa Fertilizer & Soil Health Summit, Nairobi, Kenya, including Ms. Carla Montesi (Director, European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG EU-INTPA) (in blue).

The summit brought together some African Heads of State, high-ranking government officials, senior policy makers, private-sector players and civil society organizations. Other participants included representatives of farmer organizations and development agencies, including NGOs, scholars and scientists, and representatives of leading donor organizations. Also, NESTLER through European Union and ICIPE organized an international exhibition booth on insect frass fertilizer products held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC), Nairobi, Kenya. Market-driven fertilizer products from over 15 SMEs developed within the projects were displayed and attracted a lot of interest from the public and private sectors.

Exhibition booth of the insect frass fertilizer products displayed by ICIPE & SMEs during the 3-days side-event organized during the Africa Fertilizer & Soil Health Summit, Nairobi, Kenya.
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