Food map

https://i.redd.it/9os1hnbxc34z.jpg

People can farm insects to produce

cheaper animal feed'
Senior FAO officer Paul Vantomme talks about food recycling, improved nutrition
and the many uses of insects

NEXT INTERVIEW ❯
By Deepanwita Gita Niyogi
Last Updated: Monday 09 November 2015

How food waste can be recycled and turned into resource to reduce rural and
urban poverty and improve nutrition?

We should avoid as much as possible any waste in the chain from (human) food
production to consumption. However, from the farm to the fork, some waste is
unavoidable.

In rural areas, agricultural (processing) by-products and wastes from farming will
be available while in urban areas it will be from distribution (centres) and final
consumers.

In Belgium and Netherlands, we have companies collecting vegetable and fruit

wastes from supermarkets and distribution points and using it to feed insects. The
dried insect larvae are then used in fish and chicken feed.

In developing countries, poor urban people can collect food waste (usually for free)
and use it to farm insects. In this way, we act at three levels: reduce the disposal of
waste in the city, provide cash income opportunities and improve nutrition.
There are many alternatives to traditional sources of protein such as algae,
jelly fish and even laboratory-made meat. But why are insects the most
promising?
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Insects are part of the food choice of about 2 billion people. They are part of the
natural feed of chickens, fish and pigs.

Insects provide us with good proteins, fats, minerals and micro nutrients. In
addition to this, the feed conversion efficiency of farming insects is four times
more than that of cattle. Farming insects requires less water and land and emits
little greenhouses gases.

In animal feed, the inclusion of insect powder may help reduce the use of
antibiotics. Also, no antibiotics are needed to farm insects as compared to the high
level of antibiotics used in chicken farming.

Farming insects is socially more inclusive than say raising cattle, pigs or sheep, as
insects are easy to farm, do not need huge investment or “high-tech” skills.

Therefore, farming and processing of insects offer unique opportunities for

business and jobs both in developed and developing countries, as it supports the
local agro-economy by making animal feed cheaper and more sustainable.

Why is the demand for protein exploding worldwide? How is this linked to
rising income level?
Everywhere in the world, increased incomes lead to increasing consumption of
animal-based proteins (meat, fish, milk and eggs) as seen in the graphs.

How can forests contribute to food security?

Forests are important for a range of products and services, except for food
production. That’s why humans invented agriculture. There are a range of products
and services obtained from forests that are of relevance to food production and
security.

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For instance, gathering of medicinal plants by indigenous people in India is very

important for their livelihood, but it has very little relevance to Indian farmers or
agriculture in general.

Forest also provide (indirect services) relevant to farmers such as biodiversity

(wild relatives of farmed plants can be used for genetic breeding) or the provision
of water.

What prospect India has in insect farming? How will insect farming be
economically viable for the poor?

In India, insects are already farmed such as bees, silk moth larvae and lacquer scale
insects. In the north-eastern states (Nagaland for instance) indigenous peoples do
regularly eat insects gathered from the wild.

For India, the biggest opportunity is to farm insects (such as fly larvae and
crickets) on vegetable and fruit waste to produce insect powder for use in animal
feed.
Poor people can have an economic opportunity here as they can collect the waste
and farm the insects themselves in their backyards and sell insect powder to
commercial chicken farms.

Is eating insects an expensive affair at present?

It is both yes and no, depending on the case. If gathered from the wild like in
Nagaland, it is probably not expensive. However, farmed crickets in Thailand sell
for a higher price than chickens because people value them highly.

To what extent will farming insects be of value to Indian farmers? Will not
farmers rather keep cows here than farm insects as cows give us a lot of
things?

Insects supplement farming. Indeed, we still need cows (for milk and hides), but
people can farm insects to produce cheaper animal feed ingredients for fish, shrimp
and chicken farmers.

Is there any other way to benefit from insects apart from direct consumption?

Yes. Whole insects in powder form or extracts from whole insects such as proteins,
fats, minerals, are a commercial activity in the EU and the USA. (See the many
uses of insect powder)
Do you think it will be possible to popularise the concept of eating insects
globally?

Thirty years ago, eating raw fish in Europe (such as the sushi) was considered
disgusting. Food habits can evolve over time, but of course awareness and
information campaigns will be needed to tell people that eating insects is good for
their health and for the health of the Earth as well.

Many cultures do not eat insects. Not all Africans or Chinese eat insects. It is a
cultural thing and Europeans are usually disgusted by it.