Training on Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) cultivation as aquaculture and poultry feed

Last registered on October 19, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Training on Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) cultivation as aquaculture and poultry feed
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0014291
Initial registration date
October 15, 2024

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
October 19, 2024, 9:41 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Marzuk Hossain
Affiliation
BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), BRAC University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Tahmid Bin Mahmud
PI Affiliation
BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), BRAC University
PI Name
Munshi Sulaiman
PI Affiliation
BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), BRAC University
PI Name
Khandker Wahedur Rahman
PI Affiliation
BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), BRAC University

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2024-01-27
End date
2024-12-31
Keywords
Behavior, Environment & Energy, Firms & Productivity
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
The rising cost of commercial feed for poultry and fish in Bangladesh has resulted in an exploration of Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae as an environment-friendly alternative to the protein and fat contents in traditional feed sources. BSF larvae consume organic waste, reducing pollution and preventing methane gas emissions. The intervention for this research involved providing farmers training on BSF Larvae cultivation through online YouTube training materials, with some farmers being provided with BSF eggs or larvae as inputs to encourage uptake. The study randomly selected 120 village catchment areas, designating 40 villages as Treatment 1, 40 villages as Treatment 2, and the remaining 40 as Control Villages – consisting of 1440 farmers in total as the study population. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of using digitally mediated training for climate-friendly agricultural technology, the uptake of BSF larvae cultivation as an alternative feed source for poultry or aquaculture, and the monetary advantages or disadvantages of BSF larvae cultivation. The use of digital mediums for training delivery could have broader implications for disseminating agricultural training efficiently over large populations and distances.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Hossain, Marzuk et al. 2024. "Training on Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) cultivation as aquaculture and poultry feed." AEA RCT Registry. October 19. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.14291-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2024-01-27
Intervention End Date
2024-03-03

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Effectiveness of digitally mediated training on climate-friendly agricultural technology.
Adaption of Black Soldier Fly Larvae cultivation as a climate-smart alternative feed for poultry and aquaculture farms.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Production cost reduction - especially feed cost - in poultry and aquaculture farms.
Improvement in waste management
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We plan to determine if poultry and aquaculture farmers will take up farming BSFL if introduced to it through a YouTube video. We also want to see if they are more likely to farm BSFL if provided with Black Soldier Fly (BSF) eggs or larvae. Therefore, we have two treatment arms:
• Treatment 1 (T1) – we provide the YouTube video link to the treatment farmers and BDT 100 as a mobile phone recharge to buy data on their phones to view the video. This video tutorial is created by the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), BRAC University in collaboration with Dyadic Research Impacts. The video is specifically designed to cater to the needs of our sample farmer audience. A leaflet containing the video summary is also provided to the farmers.
In T1 villages;
o 8 farmers receive –
 The YouTube video link,
 BDT 100 as a mobile phone recharge
 The summary leaflet
o 4 do not receive any treatment –
 They will help us measure the spillover effect.

• Treatment 2 (T2) – we provide the video link, mobile recharge, and the summary leaflet along with either BSF eggs or larvae.
In T2 villages;
o 4 farmers receive –
 The YouTube video link,
 BDT 100 as a mobile phone recharge
 The summary leaflet
 BSF eggs
o 4 farmers receive –
 The YouTube video link,
 BDT 100 as a mobile phone recharge
 The summary leaflet
 BSF larvae
o 4 do not receive any treatment –
 They will also help us measure the spillover effect.

• The control group village clusters 12 farmers do not receive the items provided to T1 and T2 groups.

We conduct a randomised control trial clustered at the village catchment area level. We receive a list of farmers in various villages from the BRAC (an International Non-Government Organisation) Microfinance in Bangladesh, a South Asian country. We find a sufficiently large number of poultry and aquaculture farmers in Rangpur and Gaibandha, northern districts of Bangladesh. We select 120 villages with the largest number of such farmers. We randomly assign 40 villages to T1, 40 to T2 and 40 to the control group.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
The village catchment areas are randomly assigned to Treatment 1 (T1), Treatment 2 (T2) and Control using replicable and stored STATA codes. The farmers in T1 and T2 who will or will not get the treatment (or will get BSF eggs or Larvae in T2) are assigned randomly during the census with the randomisation code embedded within the data collection form. We conduct the census, baseline survey and intervention implementation simultaneously.
Randomization Unit
We conduct a randomised control trial clustered at the village catchment area level.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
120 village catchment areas.
Sample size: planned number of observations
1,440 poultry and/or aquaculture farmers who are smartphone users and feed buyers. 12 such farmers from each cluster.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
40 village catchment areas in control, 40 in Treatment 1 and 40 in Treatment 2.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
The Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University
IRB Approval Date
2023-08-27
IRB Approval Number
IRB-3 July'23-024
IRB Name
The Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University
IRB Approval Date
2024-09-09
IRB Approval Number
IRB-3 July’23-024
Analysis Plan