By Felix Ochieng Akech

Titus Mlumbe has developed avocado waste chicken feed pellets and compost that he sells to local farmers using free foods previously thrown away by avocado packhouses in Homa Bay.

In peak season, the region’s packhouses reject 25 per cent to 30 per cent of the avocadoes they receive – due to bruising, over ripening, and failures to meet export standards. 

They process the rejected avocadoes to extract oil from them, but this leaves behind skins, seeds, and pulp residues – which they used to have to pay to have collected and disposed. 

However, now, farmers like Titus are collecting the avocado waste and turning it into animal feeds and compost.

At a Homa Bay packhouse this week, the head of the facility, Walter Owino, showed FarmBizfrica the piles of fresh pulp and seeds that used to be discarded. “We had so much waste we paid to cart it away,” he said. “Now, Titus collects the peelings and takes them to his yard. It is cleaner here and we save money.”

If left to rot, the large volumes of wet pulp and stones generated by packhouses and small oil processors, begin to smell, attracts flies, and can leach into drains. Beyond the nuisance and risk of local complaints, the waste contains nutrients carbon, nitrogen and oils that are lost, instead of being returned into farming.

But Titus now takes the waste to Dhiwa, Pala village and mixes the avocado pulp to make compost. 

“I mix the wet pulp with maize stover and cow manure,” he said. 

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He does this mixing by building alternating layers of the compost, keeping the pile moist but not wet, turning it every 7–10 days, and letting it mature for 8–10 weeks. The finished compost is dark, crumbly and ready for the vegetable beds.

“After eight weeks, it smells earthy and the farmers buy it, A 50kg bag of compost now sells for Sh300 and traders come for it.”

Titus also separates the wetter pulp and presses excess liquid. He sun dries chopped pulp and grinds the seeds and skins into coarse meal. 

He then blends the dried avocado meal with maize bran, adds a little molasses to bind, and presses the mix into pellets using a small press.

“We dry the pulp on raised racks, mill it, then mix one part dried avocado meal to three parts maize bran,” said Titus. “The chickens eat it well and I sell the pellets to small poultry keepers in the village on 5kg packs.”

He collects the waste for free from the packhouse; saving the packhouse disposal costs, and earning an extra income from the products he makes.

 “Before he started, packhouse waste smelled and we paid to remove it,” said Walter. “Now Titus takes it away and returns value to farmers. It’s a win for everyone.”