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Importance of Insects for Use as Animal Feed in Low-Income Countries

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Edible Insects in Sustainable Food Systems

Abstract

Insects provide an alternative sustainable source of protein to the growing population, as well as to the animals in the low-income world. The depletion of resources linked with the increased demand for animal products due to growing population and fast-growing economies of the low-income countries make insects a sustainable alternative to fish and soybean meal for the livestock and aquaculture sectors. The insect meal market has a great potential for innovation. Growth of alternative protein sources is poised to accelerate, potentially claiming up to a third of the protein market by 2054, profoundly affecting agriculture, food technology, and end products. Insect meal, made largely from larvae, is rich in high quality protein (45–68% dry matter basis), has a good amino profile and high digestibility. This new resource could substitute soybean meal and fishmeal in animal and fish diets. Such livestock farming has the potential to reduce importation dependency in low-income countries and boost the local and participatory economy. Small scale farms can strongly contribute to the improvement of small farmers’ livelihood by not only generating an additional source of income, but also alleviating the dependency on currently marketed animal feed, whose prices have quintupled in the past 15 years. With a low initial investment required in equipment, space and water-resource, smallholder farmers can contribute to the development of their local economies and sustainable development of their regions, aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. nextProtein, Paris, France

    Syrine Chaalala & Achille Leplat

  2. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, RM, Italy

    Harinder Makkar

Authors
  1. Syrine Chaalala
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  2. Achille Leplat
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  3. Harinder Makkar
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Syrine Chaalala .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark

    Afton Halloran

  2. Nordic Food Lab, Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark

    Roberto Flore

  3. FAO, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, Italy

    Paul Vantomme

  4. Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark

    Nanna Roos

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Chaalala, S., Leplat, A., Makkar, H. (2018). Importance of Insects for Use as Animal Feed in Low-Income Countries. In: Halloran, A., Flore, R., Vantomme, P., Roos, N. (eds) Edible Insects in Sustainable Food Systems . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74011-9_18

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