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Page 2 of 8 Reid. Microbiome Res Rep 2024;3:10 https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/mrr.2023.46

The spin-offs have unexpectedly included the exploration of probiotic bacteria to lower honeybee
[5]
mortality , and the potential to reduce heavy metal and aflatoxin adsorption in children and pregnant
[7]
[6]
women . Studies have even been undertaken to help the growth and survival of farmed fish , an important
commodity in countries surrounding Lake Victoria. The challenge is to sustain these initiatives amidst
climate change and food insecurity.

SUSTAINABILITY
There are numerous factors involved in sustainability, depending on the location. For the initiative in
Mwanza, climate change, the environmental setting, the supply chain, and social parameters present
important issues.

[8]
Climate change has led to extremes of flooding and drought, as well as disease vector migration . These
affect soil and crops, including pastures for cows. The erosion of fertile ground has implications for the
sustainability of produce (milk, fruits, vegetables) required for fermentation. Extremes of heat and cold also
affect storage, distribution, and consumer purchasing. In winter, consumers prefer heated products over
ones that are served cold, such as yoghurt. This means that to maintain the microenterprise operation, the
yoghurt would have to provide benefits when heated or products would need to be developed for room
temperature consumption. The heating process that kills the beneficial microbes makes the product a
postbiotic (currently defined as “preparation of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that
confers a health benefit on the host” ). The heating of yoghurt is not generally done in Mwanza, so the
[9]
alternative of a fermented millet produced and then consumed at room temperature could be useful to
sustain the business over the colder weather. While studies have been performed on Fiti , none have
[3]
examined the product as a postbiotic, so the health benefits would need to be examined.

To maximise the benefits of the fermentation process, consideration has been given to spreading the
[10]
residues of the ferment onto the soil as biofertilizer . As microbes and nutrients are integral to soil
ecosystems and for sequestering carbon and cycling nutrients, the disruption of their function through heat
or flooding has consequences for the food chain . In developed countries, mitigation has generally
[11]
involved the use of chemical fertilizers or genetically engineered plants and microbes. However, apart from
the ethical questions this raises, the implementation of these interventions is difficult due to economic and
[12]
logistical reasons. Biofertilization, however, may be a practical alternative and add to the value chain
sustainability.

Another approach to biofertilization could be from algal blooms formed by cyanobacteria on Lake Victoria,
upon which Mwanza resides. Harvesting the algae could not only save the fish population, but when placed
on soil, these organisms could contribute to eco-friendly fertilization . As fishermen live in the
[13]
communities of Mwanza, teaching them how to harvest the algae could have several positive outcomes and
further empower those in the fermented food value chain. Since some of these microenterprises have their
own cows, the fertilization of pastures by cyanobacteria would be helpful, in addition to spraying on soil
used to grow crops. Furthermore, rather than piling up manure from cows and other livestock, the dung
could be spread onto the fields to help with vegetative plant growth and seed germination , while fostering
[14]
the proliferation of earthworms. High in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, copper, manganese, and zinc,
cow manure contains many lactic acid bacteria. Such application of biofertilizers is feasible in rural African
communities, though it will require education, training, and the use of farming equipment in the Mwanza
setting, where most microenterprise owners are women without post-secondary education or access to
farming machinery such as ploughs and tractors.