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MinilivestockEconomic and environmental advantages to insect farming

Outline• Definition: Livestock• The problem with livestock farming• A possible alternative: Minilivestock• Entomophagy• Advantages• Disadvantages

• Future considerations• Conclusion

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What is Livestock?• Domesticated animals• Food• Labor• Various Commodities• Leisure, Sport and other uses

Zedomax

Epicurian TravelerWikipedia

Wikipedia

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Livestock Numbers• Number of livestock: 60 billion (CIWF)• Number slaughtered for food in the US: 10,000 (USDA 2009)• This number will likely double by 2050

• Developed countries consume more animals• The average American consumes 128kg of meat/yr (Guardian)

USDA

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The problem with livestock• Environmental efficiency• Intensive farming

• High waste production• High CO2 production• Requires antibiotics for livestock• Low sustainability

• Extensive Farming• High land consumption• Forest and Habitat Destruction• Requires fertilizers for plants• Low sustainability

• Both produce a lot of waste water• Greenhouse gases

Against Animal Farming Tasmania

Lordswood Farms

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The problem with livestock

USDA

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The problem with livestock

CIWF6

Minilivestock• Smaller animals• Snails, frogs, rabbits and insects• Also known as unconventional livestock• Not recent• Guinea Pigs domesticated by South Americans since

5000BC (U. Arizona)• The Chinese have farmed silk worms since 2500BC

Wikipedia

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Entomophagy• Eating insects• Eaten in 80% of the world

• Most notably in Sub-saharan Africa, Asia and South America• Mostly absent in Western Europe and Parts of the USA

• Over 1,500 species of insects are edible• Most notably ants, bees, wasps and locusts• Special Forces of many countries are trained in identifying edible

insects

Discovery

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Entomophagy: Advantages

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8kg of feed to get 1kg on a cow, 2kg of feed for 1kg of insect! -Science

• Frass• Less methane and CO2 than manure• Higher nitrogen content• Makes great fertilizer• Excreted in small amounts

• Preparation and Nutrition• Processing is limited to cleaning• No discarded parts (bones, organs etc.)

• Insects are usually consumed whole• However, poison glands must be removed from poisonous insects

• Chitin is a dietary fiber

Entomophagy: Advantages

Wikipedia

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Entomophagy: Advantages

Iowa State U*per 100g

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Entomophagy: Advantages• Carbon dioxide (vol)• Prior to the industrial

revolution, CO2 was 280ppm• Currently it is 380ppm• It is expected to reach

550ppm by 2050• Plant and insect fitness• Plants grow faster and larger

in proportion to CO2 concentration

• Insects prefer to eat these large plants

• Insect fitness improves by 30-60%

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• Limited research• Insects themselves are researched• Little information on farming outside the

laboratory• Little-to-no infrastructure• Undeveloped technology for efficient

farming• Few laws exist regarding minilivestock• No government incentive

Entomophagy: Disadvantages

House-flies.net

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• Limited research• Insects themselves are researched• Little information on farming outside the

laboratory• Little-to-no infrastructure• Undeveloped technology for efficient

farming• Few laws exist regarding minilivestock• No government incentive

• Swarming and health risks• Many diseases are insect-borne• Swarms devestate communities and

cause famine

Entomophagy: Disadvantages

House-flies.net

Thenewprophecy.com

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Entomophagy: Disadvantages

All images: insectsarefood14

Current Progress• UN Food and Agriculture Organization held workshops in

Thailand on 2008 to promote • FAO also held training sessions on insect farming in Laos

(March 28-30, 2011)• University of Laos department of agriculture now offers an

insect farming course• Entomophagy spreading worldwide

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laosvoices.com

ewhoknow.com

Future considerations• Research• Invest more into minilivestock research• Determine the feasibility of mass minilivestock farming

• Develop• Design systems to effectively and efficiently farm insects• Invent machinery that minimizes labor• Create infrastructure such as laws

• Inform• Spread the idea• Overcome the taboo

Hotlicks.com

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Summary• Livestock are domesticated animals used for food, material

and other commodities

• Conventional livestock are reared intensively and extensively

• Intensive farming is more common and produces high waste

• Extensive farming uses a lot of land

• In general, conventional farming produces a lot of greenhouse gasses and consumes a lot of H2O

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Summary• Minilivestock, entomophagy in particular, uses less energy and

resources

• Insects contain similar or superior nutrition per 100g

• The impact of mass minilivestock farming has not been analyzed in detail

• Hazards such as swarming and disease are possible

• Taboo18

Sources• How Stuff Works (Discovery)• http://people.howstuffworks.com/entomophagy.htm

• US Department of Agriculture• http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?

navtype=su&navid=FOOD_NUTRITION• Food and Drug Administration• http://www.fda.gov/food/labelingnutrition/

consumerinformation/default.htm• Compassion in World Farming• http://www.ciwf.org.uk/

• Food and Agriculture Organization – UN• http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2008/1000791/

index.html

Sources• Science Magazine• http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/01/to-fight-

global-warming-eat-bugs.html• University of Laos• http://www.nuol.edu.la/

Questions?

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