RefIPro

Refugee Insect Production for Food and Feed

The RefIPro project has humanitarian program activities with research components focusing on improving nutrition, health and incomes of refugees and host community members in and around Kyaka 2 refugee settlement in Western Uganda.

RefIPro children

 

 

 

  • Improve nutrition and health of children through the production and consumption of mealworms.
  • Improve incomes of refugees and host community members through production of Black soldier fly larvae for animal feed.

 

 

Uganda has one of the largest refugee populations in the world hosting approximately 1.5 million refugees. It is increasingly clear that humanitarian aid will not be able to continue to support such large refugee populations for extended periods of time.

There is therefore an urgent need to find more sustainable ways for refugees to feed themselves and to generate income. Moreover, levels of malnutrition are already high among both the refugee and local host community populations in Uganda.

Malnutrition is a complex issue with many causes. In the refugee context in Uganda, a main cause is lack of access to nutritious food. 

This is a result of refugees not having access to sufficient land to feed themselves and very limited access to income generating opportunities. 

Young children living in refugee settlements are at high risk of chronic and acute undernourishment.

 

 

RefIPro project will be divided into two research studies: the formative study and the intervention study.

The formative study is a pilot study aiming to gather background data that will guide and strengthen the implementation of the intervention study.

This will include anthropometric  measurements and dietary intake assessments, development of a nutritious and highly acceptable mealworm enhanced school meal, as well as assessment of the barriers and drivers of mealworm consumption in schools in and around Kyaka 2 refugee settlement.

The intervention study aims to evaluate the impacts of a mealworm-based school meal on nutrition and health status of 6–9-year-old children.

This will involve a school feeding trial in primary schools in and around Kyaka 2 refugee settlement. The outcome measures of interest are anthropometric measurements, body composition measurements using stable isotopes, dietary intake assessments, Iron status, Vitamin A status, Gut health assessment using Environmental Enteric Dysfunction markers ( Citrulline, Myeloperoxidase, Neopterin, Alpha-1-anti-trypsin).

 

 

Refipro Project is a collaboration between project partners in Denmark and Uganda.

Denmark

Research & Action for Income Security (RAISE): a non-profit organisation with the aim to ensure that everybody has access to income security. www.raise.dk/en/ 

Uganda

Bobo Eco Farm: A demonstration farm that develops innovative solutions to support small holder farmers to increase production efficiency and incomes without compromising environmental sustainability. https://www.boboecofarm.org.ug/ 

Child and Family Foundation Uganda (CFU): A Christian- based not -for-profit non-governmental organization aiming to improve access use and availability to healthcare, nutrition and food security, relevant education and livelihoods to children, youth, women and people with disability in rural and urban poor populations. https://cfufoundation.org/about.php 

Makerere University: A thought leader for knowledge generation for societal transformation and development.  The University is committed to providing transformative and innovative teaching, learning, research, and services responsive to dynamic national and global needs. https://www.mak.ac.ug/ 

Mothers Against Malnutrition and Hunger (MAMAH): A civil society organisation whcihc aims to improve food and nutrition security for the most vulnerable groups and communicates as well as fight gender-based poverty. https://www.mamah.org.ug/ 

International

International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE):  A pan-African, non-governmental and non-profit Centre of Excellence for research, development and capacity building headquartered in Nairobi, with thriving partnerships with many universities and research organizations in Africa, Europe and North America. http://www.icipe.org/

 

 

 

 

 

Involved in the project

RefiPro group

Internal

Name Title Phone E-mail
Grenov, Benedikte Associate Professor +4520456654 E-mail
Olsen, Mette Frahm Associate Professor +4528340979 E-mail
Roos, Nanna Associate Professor +4535332497 E-mail
Boit, Tele Chepkoros PhD Fellow +4535334979 E-mail

External

Ezekiel Mupere, Department of Peadiatrics and Child health, Makerere University & CFU, mupez@cfufoundation.org 

Violet Gwokyalya, Mothers Against Malnutrition and Hunger (MAMAH), vgwokyalya@musph.ac.ug

Dorothy Nakimbugwe, Department of Food Technology, Makerere University, dnakimbugwe@gmail.com 

Geoffrey Ssepuuya, Department of Food Technology, Makerere University, gksepuya@gmail.com 

Catherine Tamale Ndagire, Department of Food Technology, Makerere University, dnprojects2@gmail.com 

Chrysantus Tanga, International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), ctanga@icipe.org

Dennis Beesigamukama, International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), dbeesigamukama@icipe.org 

Rasmus Schjødt, Research & Action for Income Security (RAISE), rasmus@raiseorg.dk

Edward Ssebbomb, Bobo Eco Farm, essebbombo@gmail.com 

RefIPro logo

Funded by

Novo Nordisk Foundation

The research results are independent, and the views and opinions expressed by project partners based on the research findings do not necessarily reflect those of the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

Period: August 2022 to July 2026.

Contact

PhD Fellow Tele Chepkoros Boit