Insect farming: a circular economy solution to create value for food loss and waste

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) projects the global population to reach 9.7 billion by 2050. As such, food demand is expected to increase by 70% to meet food and nutritional security of the expanding population. Globally hunger is widely prevalent in the Africa, South Asia and in some Oceania islands. Therefore, population expansion and rapid urbanisation, coupled with the effects of the three Cs – COVID-19, climate change, and conflicts – are impacting food security in most of these regions. By 2050, 68% of the global population is anticipated to live in cities resulting in rising food prices, unemployment, and environmental degradation through massive accumulation of organic wastes, with only a very small proportion of it appropriately recycled in developing countries. Increasing income of urban dwellers has significantly increased the demand for crop and animal products, while lack of cost-efficient inputs such as fertilisers and feeds is constraining crop and livestock productivity. Ironically 33% of the food produced globally never manages to feed the people due to various post-harvest losses. These diverse and interlinked developmental challenges call for innovative solutions to address them. Use of insects such as black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens, for recycling organic wastes into nutrient-rich organic fertilisers for crop productivity, while also supplying high-quality insect biomass which is rich in crude proteins, fats, gross energy, well-balanced amino acids and vitamins for the feed sector to enhance livestock productivity, is one of these approaches. This is an innovative, eco-friendly and circular solution that contributes to environmental sustainability (mitigation of waste), food security (enhanced crop and livestock production) and has the potential to contribute to critically needed employment for youth and women in Africa, South Asia and the Pacific Islands. Furthermore, the high quality and locally produced insect protein and insect-based organic fertilisers can be excellent substitutes for often imported feed protein additives and synthetic fertilisers, and have the potential to reduce the import bills of several developing and underdeveloped nations. In brief