Mafraq, Oct. 19 (Petra) – Jordanian engineer Mohammed Mustafa Basheer has won the 2025 Transformative Research Challenge at the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) World Food Forum (WFF).

Agricultural Attaché at the Jordanian Embassy in Rome, Ibtihal Al-Khraisha, said Basheer’s project focused on the major challenges faced by fish farmers in the Middle East and North Africa, particularly the high cost of feed and environmental pollution caused by aquaculture waste.

She told the Jordan News Agency (Petra) on Sunday that the idea presented an innovative circular solution that transforms fish farm waste and organic refuse into valuable resources. The approach uses larvae of the black soldier fly, which feed on this waste and convert it within seven to ten days into a high-quality protein meal that serves as an alternative to fishmeal in feed, while the remaining residue is converted into organic fertilizer.

According to Al-Khraisha, results show that each ton of waste can yield 300 kilograms of protein and 200 kilograms of fertilizer while reducing waste volume by 57 percent. The project also achieves a cost recovery period of six to twelve months, reduces the carbon footprint, protects marine life, and preserves water and land resources thereby enhancing food security and supporting sustainable agricultural development.

//Petra// AF
19/10/2025 22:45:38