Tour our microinsect farm!
On a recent trip to Democratic Republic of Congo, we filmed this quick tour for Insta stories of the Global Orphan Foundation and Farms for Orphans micro insect farm. In case you missed it, here it is!
When the 40ft shipping container was first purchased in January 2017, it looked like this:
Our team began researching the best way to turn this old hunk of metal into a habitable farm for Palm weevil larvae. We had three goals:
Create a habitable farm that didn't rely on electricity to control temperature. We knew the orphanages we would be training at this farm wouldn't have access to reliable electricity, so we wanted to design a farming method that would work without artificial climate control. That meant no air-conditioning, fans or humidifiers.
We had to use materials that could either be bought in Kinshasa or easily checked on an airplane. That meant traditional insulation wasn't an option.
Everything we did had to be budget friendly and we had to be able to execute our renovations in the middle of a field.
After lots and lots of research, we came up with this design:
Our plan was actually pretty straightforward. Armed with some key materials from the US, our Executive Director Nicole visited in April, and set out to accomplish the following:
Have the entire shipping container painted inside and out with two coats of paint that were mixed with a special additive called Glass Bubbles. This is an industrial product created by 3M that was originally created for the aerospace industry. When mixed with regular house paint it creates a solar reflective surface, keeping our shipping container nice and cool.
Cut two openings in the roof of the container and install wind turbine air vents, to allow hot air to escape the container.
Cut a window in the back of the container to allow for air circulation.
Wrap the entire container in chicken wire, so we could train vining plants to eventually cover the container, creating shade and insulation.
On our next visit in May, the micro farm looked like this:
Working in DRC always presents a unique set of challenges, and incredible opportunities for creative problem solving! Stay tuned for more insect farming updates...