With funding from the USAID/Nigeria COVID-19 Food Security Challenge, Springboard, NGN, and Flying Food will help women and youth start cricket farming in Nigeria by providing a trainer and farmer study group. This demo farm is modeled off of New Generation Nutrition and Flying Food’s recent work piloting cricket rearing with local farmers in Kenya and Uganda. The partnership’s pilot resulted in a year-round supply of affordable, high-protein food for the most vulnerable groups and stimulated local entrepreneurship and income generation in rural areas. In Nigeria, where food security challenges have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the widespread presence of edible insects provides an alternative to meat, dairy, and fish products and can reduce the environmental footprint. Additionally, this edible insect venture will improve nutrition for vulnerable populations, boost employment, and generate income in rural areas, especially for women.

This project is led by Springboard; a network of cocoa, plantain, and rice smallholder farmers in Nigeria that empowers rural farmers, women, and youth in agribusiness. Since its inception in 2008, Springboard has trained over 2,000 farmers and over 500 rural women entrepreneurs, creating a network of farms and personnel across its targeted agricultural value chains. The organization’s efforts have resulted in the establishment of over 1,500 farms and 300 village enterprises in over 20 communities in Ondo State.