Priscilla Musenge Biography
Priscilla Musenge stands out as a key figure in Zambia’s push for green farming. She leads Entomo Farm as its founder and CEO, a company she started in 2018. This business turns everyday food waste into useful animal feed and fertilizer with the help of black soldier flies. Her work helps small farmers save money while cutting down on harm to the environment. Musenge’s story shows how one person can mix business skills with care for the planet to solve real problems like high feed costs and waste buildup.
Before starting Entomo Farm, Musenge worked for 14 years in jobs related to hotels, sales, and risk coverage. She left those roles to chase her love for natural farming methods. This change came during tough times, like the 2020 health crisis that left many without work. Her efforts now support United Nations goals for better food systems and less climate damage. In Zambia, where farming makes up a big part of life, her ideas offer new ways to handle waste and boost income for rural groups.
This biography looks at Musenge’s path from her start in Zambia to her role as a leader in bug based farming. It aims to teach readers about her steps and why her work matters for a cleaner world. By sharing facts from her life and work, we hope to inspire others to think about simple ways to help the earth. Her story proves that starting small can lead to big changes, especially in places facing food and weather challenges.
Priscilla Musenge Early Life
Priscilla Musenge grew up in Zambia, a country known for its rich land but also for issues like poor waste handling and food shortages. Born in a time when many families relied on basic farming, she saw firsthand how hard it can be to make ends meet in rural areas. Zambia’s mix of city growth and village life shaped her views on community needs. From a young age, she learned the value of hard work and helping others, ideas that stuck with her.
Details about her childhood home are not widely shared, but her later choices suggest a strong tie to Zambian roots. Living in places like Lusaka or nearby provinces, she likely faced common problems such as rising costs for farm supplies. These early experiences built her drive to find smart fixes for everyday issues. For example, seeing waste pile up in communities sparked her interest in turning trash into something useful.
Musenge’s family background remains private in most records, but her focus on empowering women and youth hints at lessons from her own life. She often speaks about starting with what you have, a mindset that comes from growing up in a resource limited setting. By the time she entered the work world, these early lessons helped her spot chances to improve farming practices. Her story reminds us that simple beginnings can lead to innovative ideas that help many people.
Priscilla Musenge Education
Public information on Priscilla Musenge’s formal schooling is limited, but her success points to a mix of self learning and practical know how. She did not follow a traditional path in bug science or farming studies. Instead, she built her skills through hands on experience and research. This approach fits many entrepreneurs who learn by doing rather than sitting in classrooms.
Musenge’s knowledge of black soldier flies came from her own studies after facing high feed prices in her small chicken setup. She read about how these insects can eat waste and turn it into protein rich food for animals. Without a degree in this field, she used online resources and talks with experts to master the process. Her time in other jobs also taught her key skills like planning and selling, which she applied to her farm.
In 2020, she joined the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs, a program that offers training for business starters. This step added to her self taught base and helped her grow Entomo Farm. Musenge’s story shows that education can come from life itself, not just books. It encourages readers to seek knowledge wherever they can find it, especially in new fields like green farming.
Priscilla Musenge Career
Priscilla Musenge began her work life in steady jobs that built her business sense. For 14 years, she held roles in hospitality, where she managed hotel operations and customer needs. She then moved to marketing, creating plans to promote products and brands. Later, she worked in insurance, dealing with risk and client support. These positions gave her a strong foundation in running teams and solving problems.
By 2018, Musenge shifted to entrepreneurship. She founded Entomo Farm in Zambia, focusing on breeding black soldier flies to make feed from waste. This idea came from her own chicken farming, where feed costs rose sharply around 2020. The flies’ larvae eat organic trash like food scraps and produce high protein feed with about 43 percent crude protein, more than soy at 35 percent. This method cuts costs for farmers and reduces planet warming gases.
At first, she ran a related project called Prote IN, testing insect based products for animal feed and even human food. By 2021, Entomo Farm grew to serve small and medium farmers through direct sales and partnerships. Musenge set up an out grower program, where others raise the larvae and sell back to her farm. This helps spread the work and creates jobs, especially for women and youth.
Her career also includes speaking at events and working with groups like the United Nations. In 2024, she shared her story on social media, explaining how the farm turns waste into value. Musenge’s path from office jobs to farm leader teaches that career changes can happen at any time, as long as you spot a need and act on it.
Priscilla Musenge Achievements
Priscilla Musenge has earned several honors for her work in green business. In 2020, she ranked in the top 10 of the first Academy for Women Entrepreneurs group, a program backed by the White House. That same year, Entomo Farm won a grant from the United Nations Development Programme in Zambia for smart waste handling.
In 2021, she took second place in the Climate Launchpad contest, a global event for eco friendly startups. This award highlighted her farm’s role in fighting climate change. Then, in 2022, Zambia National Commercial Bank named her the Zee Woman in Sustainability, recognizing her efforts to build a loop economy where waste becomes resources.
Beyond awards, Musenge’s farm has real impact. It helps divert over 100 tons of waste each year, based on her reports. The out grower plan aims to reach 200,000 homes led by women and youth in the next few years. Her work aligns with global goals like ending hunger and protecting the climate.
Priscilla Musenge Personal Life
Priscilla Musenge keeps much of her private world out of the spotlight, focusing instead on her mission. She lives in Zambia, likely in Lusaka, where her farm operates. As a mother and mentor, she balances work with family duties, though details stay limited in public shares.
Her passions include spreading the three Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle. She teaches communities about these to build awareness of green habits. Musenge also pushes for self reliance among young people to avoid pitfalls like early marriage or substance use. Her quotes, like “Start with what you have and where you are,” reflect a positive outlook shaped by her own ups and downs.
In free time, she connects with farmers and activists, building networks for change. Her life shows a commitment to empowering others, especially women in business. This personal drive fuels her work, making her a role model for those facing similar hurdles.
Conclusion
Priscilla Musenge’s journey from corporate roles to leading Entomo Farm inspires many. Starting in 2018, she built a business that solves waste and feed problems in Zambia. Her focus on black soldier flies shows how nature can provide answers to modern issues. Through awards and programs, she has grown her impact, helping farmers and the planet.
Her story teaches that change starts with one idea and hard work. By sharing knowledge on sustainable farming, Musenge helps readers see ways to join the effort. In a world facing climate shifts, her work offers hope and practical steps. Looking ahead, her plans to expand could touch more lives across Africa.
FAQs
What is Priscilla Musenge known for?
She is known as the founder and CEO of Entomo Farm, a Zambian company that uses black soldier flies to make eco friendly animal feed from waste, started in 2018.
How did Priscilla Musenge start her business?
After 14 years in hospitality, marketing, and insurance, she began Entomo Farm in 2018. High feed costs in her chicken farming led her to learn about black soldier flies as a cheap alternative.
What awards has Priscilla Musenge won?
She was a top 10 finalist in the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs in 2020, won a UNDP grant in 2020, took second in Climate Launchpad in 2021, and received the Zee Woman in Sustainability award in 2022.
What challenges did Priscilla Musenge face?
She dealt with business failures from lack of funds, high feed prices, and changing minds about insect based products. She overcame them through grants and partnerships.
How does Entomo Farm help the environment?
It turns organic waste into feed and fertilizer, reducing trash in landfills and cutting carbon emissions. This supports a circular economy and United Nations goals for sustainability.
What is black soldier fly farming? It involves raising fly larvae on waste. The larvae grow into protein rich food for animals like chickens and fish, offering a green option to traditional feeds.
What are Priscilla Musenge’s future goals?
She plans to involve 200,000 women and youth led homes in her out grower program and promote insects for human food to fight hunger and poverty.
How can someone support Priscilla Musenge’s work?
Buy from Entomo Farm, join awareness events, or partner with her for farming projects in Zambia.