Tanzanian Scientist Turns Food Waste Into Fish Feed

Diana Orembe watched small fish farmers near her childhood home struggle to afford the feed their tilapia needed to grow. Years later, as a microbiologist, she's solving that problem by transforming the organic waste markets throw away into the protein fish need to thrive.

In 2020, Orembe co-founded NovFeed in Tanzania to tackle a problem that keeps rural farmers poor. Professional fish feed can cost farmers up to 75% of their production expenses, forcing most to make unreliable homemade versions that produce inconsistent results.

NovFeed uses microbial fermentation to break down food waste into nutrient-rich fish feed and organic fertilizer. The company started small, producing about 30 metric tons monthly, but recently opened a new factory capable of making more than 20 tons per day.

The impact reaches beyond just cheaper feed. Fish farming provides 250,745 direct jobs in Tanzania and supports 6 million indirect jobs, while fish supplies 30% of the country's animal protein. When farmers can't afford quality feed, entire families lose income and nutrition suffers.

The results speak for themselves. NovFeed's products reduce feed costs by up to 40% and increase fish yields by 45%, now serving more than 1,300 farmers through local agricultural shops and service providers.

Orembe's team skipped the technical jargon and focused on what farmers could see and test themselves. They set up demonstration farms where farmers and shop owners could watch the feed perform, leading to repeat orders that validated the approach throughout 2024.

THE RIPPLE EFFECT

Tanzania's government is backing the aquaculture revolution. Fish hatcheries more than doubled from 24 to 51 between 2020 and 2024, while fingerling production jumped from 24 million to 140 million. The use of quality feed increased fifteenfold in the same period, though most still comes from imports.

NovFeed's $300,000 prize from Africa's Business Heroes competition funded the expansion to larger production. Now the challenge shifts from making enough feed to ensuring it reaches the smallest farmers who need it most, particularly in rural areas where poverty rates hit 31%.

By converting waste into wealth and supporting farmers with consistent, affordable nutrition for their fish, NovFeed is helping families turn subsistence farming into reliable income. For communities where nearly half the population lives on less than $3 a day, that difference can change everything.

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