It’s mango season in Kenya. Evidence of this fact is heaped two stories high outside a greenhouse on the outskirts of Nairobi: a 900-ton mound of mango detritus reeking sweetly in the February sun.

For years, maggots have been a powerful tool in medicine, quietly excelling in the treatment of chronic wounds. But despite the clinical evidence supporting their efficacy, maggots remain an underused ...