Wild and edible insects to sustain forests and fight malnutrition
Insects farmed for food can provide an environmentally sustainable and nutritious alternative to traditional protein sources. Insects offer a far greater range of nutrients than commonly consumed meats, yet require a much smaller footprint to produce. In Madagascar, insects are an indispensable part of seasonal diets for many ethnic groups. We aim to strengthen the tradition of eating insects with innovative techniques to make this valuable food resource available in all seasons while encouraging forest conservation.
Our method will link the benefits of insect farming with healthy, natural forest habitat. We intend to improve the diets of malnourished children with a farming system that increases the value of the forest in the eyes of local people. The project will first evaluate suitable insect species for commercialization and create a knowledge bank of edible insects of Madagascar. One species will be chosen for protein powder production and another for whole insect consumption. We will conduct research to determine optimal conditions for commercial scale farming, including an evaluation of biological cycles, nutrient content, and other technical variables that affect farming costs and conservation impacts. We will also evaluate local attitudes towards insect consumption to ensure the program is suitable for local markets. The research will be conducted in collaboration with local NGOs, the private sector, and a team of international mentors.
Our method will link the benefits of insect farming with healthy, natural forest habitat. We intend to improve the diets of malnourished children with a farming system that increases the value of the forest in the eyes of local people. The project will first evaluate suitable insect species for commercialization and create a knowledge bank of edible insects of Madagascar. One species will be chosen for protein powder production and another for whole insect consumption. We will conduct research to determine optimal conditions for commercial scale farming, including an evaluation of biological cycles, nutrient content, and other technical variables that affect farming costs and conservation impacts. We will also evaluate local attitudes towards insect consumption to ensure the program is suitable for local markets. The research will be conducted in collaboration with local NGOs, the private sector, and a team of international mentors.
Aims and Activities
We coordinate a broad-based scientific effort to advance and promote insects for food in Madagascar with the following specific aims:
1. Create an online knowledge bank of edible insects in Madagascar including images, distribution, life histories, and feasibility for mass rearing assessments.
2. Apply innovative techniques to scale the rearing of one native insect species intended for whole insect consumption and another species that will be used for protein powder production.
3. Evaluate farming strategies that maximize improvements in livelihoods and the conservation of local forests.
4. Research the bioavailability of micronutrients and food safety associated with targeted edible insects.
5. Investigate attitudes toward insects as food and analyze the implication of these findings for the commercialization of insects for food in Madagascar.
1. Create an online knowledge bank of edible insects in Madagascar including images, distribution, life histories, and feasibility for mass rearing assessments.
2. Apply innovative techniques to scale the rearing of one native insect species intended for whole insect consumption and another species that will be used for protein powder production.
3. Evaluate farming strategies that maximize improvements in livelihoods and the conservation of local forests.
4. Research the bioavailability of micronutrients and food safety associated with targeted edible insects.
5. Investigate attitudes toward insects as food and analyze the implication of these findings for the commercialization of insects for food in Madagascar.
Impacts
Insect farming can produce a high nutrient protein source with a reduced footprint. Its low resource demands can relieve pressures on the environment and provide food security. Malnutrition is widespread in Madagascar, and alleviating food shortages is a primary development goal. Insect farming can help Madagascar address development issues such as population growth, food security, climate change, habitat fragmentation, diminishing water resources, child nutrition, and persistent poverty. For a modest investment, we expect large returns that will advance both development and conservation. Our insect farming research is directly applied to the production of whole insects for local consumption and protein powder for commercial sale. In local communities, we aim to empower marginalized groups such as women and the rural poor to produce their own food, thus contributing to regional food security. Farming of whole insects for local consumption will include the planting of native host trees as part of a reforestation program.
In addition, we are develop leadership in Madagascar for insect farming research. Findings will be shared freely with the private sector with the aim of promoting a cottage industry of insect farming in Madagascar that will benefit business, the people, and the forest.
In addition, we are develop leadership in Madagascar for insect farming research. Findings will be shared freely with the private sector with the aim of promoting a cottage industry of insect farming in Madagascar that will benefit business, the people, and the forest.
Why?
Tropical forests are of enormous ecological and economic importance. These highly productive ecosystems support at least half of Earth’s terrestrial biodiversity. The “ecosystem services” or benefits that tropical forests provide to people include timber, fuel, fiber, fresh water, food, soil conservation, flood amelioration, carbon storage, medicines, shade, the injection of energy into the food web from sunlight, as well as spiritual and cultural inspiration. But forests and their benefits are under increasing threat.
Conservation efforts can do little to halt the continued destruction of this living resource when locals are hungry and malnourished. In Madagascar, more than 90 percent of the population lives below the international poverty line. Almost half of all children under five are malnourished. As a whole, Madagascar experiences the world’s fourth highest rate of chronic malnutrition (Demographic Health Survey Madagascar 2008/2009).
This broad-based scientific effort will use wild and edible insects to both sustain local habitats and feed local communities, especially malnourished children. Farming insects will increase the economic stability of rural areas, add value to forest protection through food security, help restore populations of insect host plants, and reduce demand for bushmeat.
Conservation efforts can do little to halt the continued destruction of this living resource when locals are hungry and malnourished. In Madagascar, more than 90 percent of the population lives below the international poverty line. Almost half of all children under five are malnourished. As a whole, Madagascar experiences the world’s fourth highest rate of chronic malnutrition (Demographic Health Survey Madagascar 2008/2009).
This broad-based scientific effort will use wild and edible insects to both sustain local habitats and feed local communities, especially malnourished children. Farming insects will increase the economic stability of rural areas, add value to forest protection through food security, help restore populations of insect host plants, and reduce demand for bushmeat.
Rationale for insects for food
Insects used as food and feed can play a key role in assuring food security. Insects reproduce quickly, have high growth rates, and are far more efficient at converting feed mass into body mass than mammalian livestock. The feed conversion of house crickets is estimated at twice that of chickens, four times that of pigs, and more than 12 times greater than cattle. This high conversion rate means insects require much less water and cause far fewer environmental impacts per unit of protein produced. Insects are also valuable sources of minerals and vitamins essential for human development. In fact, the locusts that attack cornfields in southwestern Madagascar contain more iron than the crops themselves. Additionally, insects are ideal for community development projects because they are small and easy to breed, and require minimal investments in capital and land. With low barriers to entry, insect farming can help marginalized groups such as women and the rural poor to produce their own food, and improve global food security.
The use of insects for farming and feed has been increasing in Africa and Asia, where insects have since become an important food resource. Madagascar, however, has not participated in this movement. Our project aims to fill this gap. Insect consumption is popular across both rural and urban Madagascar; even in the capital, insects are sold in almost every market. We see an opportunity to apply innovations for the mass rearing of insects that have only been developed within the last few years. However, the insect rearing advances developed by NGOs and the private sector in Asia, East Africa, and North America are species-specific. The aim of this working group is to provide the background biological data necessary to test these rearing methods, identify approaches best suited to native insects, and grasp the social and economic nuances required to ensure the program will be broadly embraced across the island after launch. |
Strategic Direction
In early April 2017, we held a workshop with world leaders in insect farming at the Madagascar Biodiversity Center, Antananarivo . The objective was to identify a strategic path to farm insects for food in Madagascar. Workshop attendees included industry leaders (Entomo Farm, Canada), insect for food program leaders from across Africa (International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology/ICPE in Kenya; Mopane worm collective in Southern Africa, shea caterpillar program in Burkina Faso), nutrition and edible insect experts from Europe, and NGOs from Madagascar. The workshop developed a set of priority research questions that must be addressed before an insect for food program can be launched in Madagascar. These questions have been vetted by the international team, which will continue to help guide the research program.
Insect Farming Working Group Members
Andrianjaka Ravelomanana
Madagascar Biodiversity Center
Mamy Ratsimbazafy
SEPALI Maroantsetra Madagascar
Hélène Ralimanana
RBG KewKMCC Madagascar, Project silk worm
Raharisoa Eugenie
ONG Tanintsika Madagascar, Project silk worm
Brian Fisher
California Academy of Sciences Madagascar Biodiversity Center
Catherine L. Craig
President and Founder, CPALI
Darren Goldin
Entomo Farms www.entomofarms.com
Sylvain Hugel
French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), Université de Strasbourg.
Joost Van Itterbeeck
Rikkyo University, Tokyo
Alan Gardiner
Southern African Wildlife College alagar@sawc.org.za
Charlotte L R Payne
University of Cambridge, UK charlotte.payne@gmail.com
Komi Fiaboe
ICIPE< Nairobi
Carlos Lopez Vaamonde
French National Institute for Agricultural Research
David Lees
Natural History Museum dclees@gmail.com
Darja Dobermann
Rothamsted Research University of Nottingham, UK
Madagascar Biodiversity Center
Mamy Ratsimbazafy
SEPALI Maroantsetra Madagascar
Hélène Ralimanana
RBG KewKMCC Madagascar, Project silk worm
Raharisoa Eugenie
ONG Tanintsika Madagascar, Project silk worm
Brian Fisher
California Academy of Sciences Madagascar Biodiversity Center
Catherine L. Craig
President and Founder, CPALI
Darren Goldin
Entomo Farms www.entomofarms.com
Sylvain Hugel
French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), Université de Strasbourg.
Joost Van Itterbeeck
Rikkyo University, Tokyo
Alan Gardiner
Southern African Wildlife College alagar@sawc.org.za
Charlotte L R Payne
University of Cambridge, UK charlotte.payne@gmail.com
Komi Fiaboe
ICIPE< Nairobi
Carlos Lopez Vaamonde
French National Institute for Agricultural Research
David Lees
Natural History Museum dclees@gmail.com
Darja Dobermann
Rothamsted Research University of Nottingham, UK