Living Soils

What Living Soils does

Living Soils is a French non-profit association (association loi 1901) founded in 2021 and headquartered in Concarneau, France, with operational bases in Grand-Bassam, Côte d'Ivoire and in Oyo and Pointe-Noire, Congo Brazzaville. The organization develops integrated circular farms in Africa centered on the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens), whose larvae transform organic waste collected from markets and households into two outputs: protein used in poultry, fish, and pig feed, and frass, an organic fertilizer that regenerates soil fertility and supports vegetable production. The technology is intentionally simple, robust, and replicable for rural African contexts, with the fly and its by-products functioning as the biological core of a closed-loop system that addresses organic waste management, soil degradation, food insecurity, and climate resilience simultaneously.

The organization runs six distinct field projects — UNITE (social cohesion and food security in Tchologo and Bounkani, Côte d'Ivoire), WOMEN ADAPT (women farmers and climate resilience in Poro, Côte d'Ivoire), BIODAF II (decentralized farms in Grand-Bassam, Côte d'Ivoire), MABELÉ (insect farming in Congo Brazzaville), École de la Seconde Chance (agricultural training in Méagui, Côte d'Ivoire), and FACETS (cocoa producer support in Niafouta, Côte d'Ivoire) — alongside a 4-year global sailing expedition launched in 2023 that documents regenerative practices worldwide through an Atlas des solutions and trains insect-entrepreneurs at port stops. To date, 1,124+ people have been sensitized and 187+ insect-entrepreneurs have been trained through these activities.

Living Soils operates as a non-profit and generates no commercial revenue; its operating model is funded through donations and memberships collected via the HelloAsso platform. Its go-to-market is community-led, relying on direct farmer training, cooperative formation, and an earned-media presence across Radio France, Arte, RFI, Ouest France, Le Télégramme, and RTI. The customer base comprises smallholder farmers, women farmers, youth, and cocoa producers — all targeted through non-commercial training and sensitization programs rather than paid product or service contracts.

Name

Living Soils

Legal name

Living Soils

Website

https://thelivingsoils.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Living Soils is a French non-profit that operates integrated black soldier fly farms in Côte d'Ivoire and Congo Brazzaville, using larvae to convert organic waste into animal-feed protein and soil-regenerating frass fertilizer for smallholder farmers and vulnerable agricultural communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regenerative Agriculture Services

NAICS

Fertilizer and Compost Manufacturing (32531), Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating (115112), Compost Manufacturing (325315)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Insect Farming (Crickets, Mealworms, Black Soldier Fly) (AFAEAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nutrient Stewardship & Soil Fertility Management (4R Nutrients, Compost, Biofertilizers) (AFAGAMAE), Sustainable/Regenerative Agriculture & Conservation Practices (EDAOAOAO)

Keywords

• Insect farming
• Organic waste recycling
• Regenerative agriculture
• Soil regeneration
• Circular farming

Headquarters

HQ city

Concarneau

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Memberships: Living Soils operates as a non-profit association (association loi 1901) that raises funds through donations and membership contributions to support its mission of soil restoration and sustainable agriculture in Africa.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Living Soils develops and deploys circular integrated farms that use black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae to convert organic waste into agricultural resources, producing protein for animal feed and frass fertilizer for soil regeneration. The organization operates training school-farms, runs sensitization workshops, and disseminates tested solutions through its sailing expedition and Atlas des solutions knowledge platform.

Product overview

Living Soils is a non-profit organization (association) founded in 2021 that develops circular, integrated farms using black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae to transform organic waste into agricultural resources. The company's core product is its circular farm system, which processes organic waste collected from markets and households through black soldier fly larvae, producing protein for poultry feed, organic fertilizer (frass) for soil regeneration, and vegetables. Living Soils also operates a 4-year sailing expedition with an Atlas des solutions, Ferme-école training farms, and sensitization workshops. The organization runs multiple regional projects in Côte d'Ivoire (UNITE, WOMEN ADAPT, BIODAF II, École de la Seconde Chance, FACETS) and Congo Brazzaville (MABELÉ), offering training, agricultural support, and educational programs focused on regenerative agriculture and food security.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Circular Integrated Farms (Fermes circulaires intégrées) Core service offering: design, deployment, and operation of circular integrated farms using black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae to convert organic waste into agricultural resources, producing protein for animal feed and frass fertilizer for soil regeneration. Targeted at smallholder farming communities and agricultural cooperatives.
• Training School-Farms (Ferme-école de mouches soldats noires) Hands-on training facilities that teach farming communities black soldier fly farming techniques and circular farm management. Designed for smallholder farmers and cooperative members in Côte d'Ivoire and Congo Brazzaville.

Quantifiable outcome

• Organic waste valorization into protein and fertilizer in circular system
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Ÿnsect: French insect-based ingredient producer (originally mealworm, expanding into BSF/frass). A broad incumbent in the European insect protein space with comparable ambition in soil regeneration via frass.
• Protix: Dutch BSF producer supplying insect-based protein and frass for feed and soil applications at industrial scale. Highly comparable technology stack, but operates as a broad incumbent with industrial capex and pan-European distribution versus Living Soils' community-led model.
• InnovaFeed: French BSF producer building industrial insect protein and frass supply chains for aquaculture, petfood, and agriculture. Similar core technology and French roots; broader incumbent with industrial customers and major partnerships.

Direct peers

• AgriProtein: A pioneering industrial black soldier fly producer converting organic waste into protein meal and frass. Operates the same core BSF technology as Living Soils but at industrial scale, making it a direct technology peer despite the different business model (commercial vs. non-profit).
• Flying Spark: Israel-based BSF producer developing protein and oil from BSF larvae for animal feed and other applications. Direct technology peer with focus on sustainable protein from BSF, comparable in scale stage to Living Soils.
• Enterra Feed Corporation: Canadian BSF producer turning food waste into animal feed and soil amendments. Operates the same circular economy principles as Living Soils, providing a direct technology and value-chain peer.
• BioFlyTech: Spanish BSF producer operating full-stack BSF bioconversion and frass fertilizer production. Direct technology peer with similar waste-to-protein-to-fertilizer circular model, although serving feed and petfood markets rather than smallholder communities.

Regional players

• Entofood: Malaysian BSF producer operating in tropical Southeast Asia, similar to Living Soils in target climate and use of BSF for both protein and soil amendment. Regional peer with overlapping circular-farm philosophy.
• Nutrition Technologies: Southeast Asian BSF producer focused on tropical climate BSF bioconversion, producing protein meal and frass. Regionally focused on a tropical geography, sharing the same tropical-climate BSF considerations as Living Soils' West/Central African operations.

Others

• TreeAID: An international NGO working on land restoration and smallholder farmer resilience in sub-Saharan Africa. Nearby in mission and target beneficiaries (African smallholder communities, soil/land regeneration), making it a thematic peer even though the technology differs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/reel/DJW0DrOoI9O

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Living Soils