Project summary

I am running a 12-month hardware and policy pilot in Kenya to stop mass heat die-offs in commercial Black Soldier Fly (BSF) farms. BSF farming is expanding fast across East Africa to replace expensive protein feeds, but deep rearing bins frequently hit lethal temperature spikes (38°C+). Because larvae cannot escape the heat inside crowded bins, millions die from thermal asphyxiation before harvest.

EntoMetrics Africa deploys ruggedized IoT probes directly into substrate bins, linked to an offline 2G SMS alert system. When heat spikes occur, farm staff get an automated text instantly so they can mix, vent, or turn the bins before losing a batch.

Over 12 months, our team; combining local hardware engineering, biostatistics, and independent scientific oversight will deploy these sensor units across 25 commercial BSF facilities in the Greater Nairobi area handling roughly 3 billion larvae annually. By triggering active SMS interventions at the 38°C threshold, we target a 15% reduction in pre-harvest larval thermal mortality across our partner network.

Beyond protecting farmer yields on the ground, we are gathering the continuous, multi-site microclimate dataset needed to submit formal insect welfare and thermal management guidelines to the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) for code KS 2924, establishing a high-leverage policy blueprint for the broader region.

What are this project's goals? How will you achieve them?

Our main goal is to reduce pre-harvest larval mortality by 15% across our pilot network and translate our field telemetry into Kenya's national agricultural standard.

1. Hardware & Bench Calibration (Months 1–3): Assemble 316 stainless-steel SHT31-D substrate probes built to handle humid, corrosive rearing bins. Test probe drift in bench environments and program the 2G cellular triggers for automated 38°C threshold alerts.

2. 25-Farm Onboarding & Baseline Logging (Months 4–6): Install sensor units across 25 commercial BSF facilities in Nairobi, Kiambu, and Machakos. We log baseline temperature and mortality data first so every facility acts as its own control before activating active SMS alerts.

3. Slaughter Method Assay (Months 7–9): Execute a randomized, blinded comparative assay comparing common harvest methods (boiling, blanching, rapid cooling) to evaluate time to irreversible loss of responsiveness and recovery rates.

4. Policy Submission to KEBS (Months 10–12): Package the microclimate time-series data and assay findings into a formal submission for KEBS to update national BSF guidelines (KS 2924), creating a reference standard for the East African Community.
   

How will this funding be used?

We are requesting $100,000 for full 12-month pilot execution and multi-disciplinary team deployment:

1. Founder Runway ($36,000): Full 1.0 FTE compensation for Lead Founder Clinton Adoga to manage 100% of field deployments, farm onboarding across the Nairobi metro area, local field logistics, and KEBS policy negotiations.

2. IoT Systems Engineering ($22,000): Dedicated engineering role covering custom PCB layout design, microclimate probe housing production (316 stainless steel with PTFE membranes), cellular firmware programming, and 2G SIM network maintenance across 25 pilot farms.

3. Independent Scientific & Biostatistical Advisory ($18,000): Deliverable-based line for Fernán Gizzi (PhD candidate) overseeing experimental trial protocols, welfare endpoint definitions, and pre-specified analysis plans.

4. Biostatistician & Data Modeling Specialist ($10,000): Dedicated quantitative analysis role managing multi-site time-series telemetry processing, cluster-controlled baseline comparisons, blinded video scoring analysis, and power calculations for KEBS submission datasets.

5. Sensor Hardware BOM & Cellular Fleet Infrastructure ($9,000): Substrate probe components, microcontrollers, waterproof enclosures, test-bench stress rigs, and 12-month cellular data logging plans.

6. Field Audits & Local Logistics ($5,000): Travel across Nairobi, Kiambu, and Machakos pilot farms, on-site mortality counting audits, and hands-on staff training.
   

Who is on your team? What's your track record on similar projects?

1. Clinton Adoga (Lead Founder & Executive Director): Serial agritech founder based in Nairobi specializing in low-bandwidth, offline-first tools for East African agriculture. Previously built and exited FarmLens Limited and AgriGlow. Manages 100% of ground execution, hardware deployments, partner agreements, and KEBS regulatory alignment.

2. Fernán Gizzi — Independent Scientific & Data Advisor: Biotechnologist, PhD Candidate in Biological Sciences, Assistant Professor of Physical Chemistry (UNR), and CTO at Agrosintex. Based in Argentina, Fernán serves as an independent scientific advisor overseeing trial design, quantitative welfare endpoints, and objective statistical validation.

3. Paul Muremi — IoT Systems Engineer: Experienced hardware specialist based in Nairobi leading custom PCB layout design, ESP32 microcontroller firmware development, automated 2G SMS network integration, and 316 stainless-steel sensor casing buildout for corrosive BSF rearing environments.

4. Mary Wairimu — Lead Biostatistician: Nairobi-based quantitative researcher managing time-series substrate temperature modeling, cluster-controlled baseline analysis across the 25 pilot farms, and mixed-effects regression models for our comparative slaughter-method assay.

What are the most likely causes and outcomes if this project fails?

Risk 1: Farm staff ignore SMS alerts. Fix: We track alert delivery times and operator response latencies from Month 4. If staff lag, we reframe the text alerts to state direct financial loss per batch (e.g., estimated biomass lost in KES).

Risk 2: Corrosive bin conditions destroy sensors. Fix: We use 316 stainless-steel sleeves with protective PTFE membranes and run high-humidity bench stress tests during Phase 1 to log drift early.

Risk 3: KEBS adoption takes longer than 12 months. Outcome: Even if policy approval moves slowly, the 25 partner farms keep using the telemetry system as a commercial yield protection tool, giving us a continuous, real-world dataset to expand across East Africa.

How much money have you raised in the last 12 months, and from where?

$0 (Bootstrap / self-funded to date).