swaziland times

Masafa – Who would have thought that chicken feathers could be turned into chicken feed? Talk about sustainable agriculture.

Students at the Luingo Campus of the University of Swaziland (UNESWA) came up with a unique project that received high marks in the 2024 Enactus national competition – making chicken feed from chicken feathers. Enactus is an international non-profit organization dedicated to fostering social entrepreneurship among university students. It aims to create a better, more sustainable world by encouraging students to take entrepreneurial action for others.

Zweli Magagula, who spoke on behalf of the students, revealed that they came up with the idea of ​​using feathers to make chicken feed after realising that Matsafa was full of feathers. He said chicken feathers contain a substance called keratin, which is also what nails are made of. He said this substance does not decompose easily, adding that throwing away chicken feathers is destructive to the environment as they stay in the ground for a long time, just like plastic.

Uncover the secrets

Magagula said that in their initiative, they collected the feathers and then boiled them at 140 degrees Celsius. He said that at this temperature, the keratin was broken down into a compound that can be easily decomposed. He said that after boiling, they added two more compounds to turn it into food. In addition, Magagula revealed that in addition to making chicken feed, they also make fertilizer from chicken feathers.

During the competition, a panel of judges were impressed with the product, culminating in the students being declared the national champions at an event held yesterday at Esibayeni Lodge in Matsapha. The competition was sponsored by Swaziland Power, Nedbank, Harmony Gold and MTN Eswatini. UNESWA was declared the national champion of the competition and received a prize of €10,000. As winners, they are also in line to represent the country at the 2024 Enactus World Cup, which will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan from October 2 to October 4, 2024.

The global event will bring together teams from 33 countries to showcase entrepreneurial solutions to social and environmental challenges. It is a key moment for young innovators to demonstrate the impact of their work on a global stage. South African Nazarene University (SANU) Faculty of Science came in second place and Limkokwing University came in third, receiving prizes of €5,000 and €2,500 respectively. Good Shepherd College also won awards in other categories.

generate

Talking about the projects, students said it was a way to clean the environment and generate income at the same time. They said the project is currently in the pilot stage. Other projects from different agencies include recycling windshields and car tires. Fikile Nkosi, chairperson of the Enactus board of directors, was also one of the keynote speakers. She stressed that governments should stop looking for other ways to solve challenges, the solutions exist. “We have the answers,” she said, adding that it all started with Enactus. She also congratulated all the participants, adding that everyone is a winner. “So many of you have skills that we can use,” Nkosi said.