Beef or grasshopper hamburgers: The ecological implications of choosing one over the other

Wegier, Ana; Alavez, Valeria; Pérez-López, Javier; Calzada, Leonardo; Cerritos, René

doi:10.1016/j.baae.2017.09.004

Cited by 31 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Rearing insects for mass consumption is increasingly sparking interest due to their high nutritional value and, most importantly, their resource efficiency when converting organic matter, especially waste, into protein [6][7][8][9] . As recently reviewed by Dicke 10 , insect production has a much smaller ecological footprint in terms of land and water use and greenhouse warming potential compared to the production of chicken, pigs and cattle which is related to its much lower feed to meat conversion ratio.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential use of mealworm frass as a fertilizer: Impact on crop growth and soil properties

Houben

Daoulas²,

Faucon

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

111

133

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Rearing insects is expected to dramatically increase during the next few years, and this will be associated with generating high quantities of frass (insect excreta). It is necessary to find solutions allowing the efficient valorization of these by-products before a major upscaling of the industry takes place. therefore, this study aims at investigating the fertilizer potential of frass. A pot experiment was established and soil was amended either with mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.) frass (10 Mg ha −1 ), with mineral fertilizer (NPK) at equivalent nutrient level to frass or with a mixture of 50% NPK and 50% frass. Changes of soil properties and growth and nutrient uptake by barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) were then analyzed. Due to its rapid mineralization and the presence of nutrient in a readily-available form, we found that frass is as efficient as mineral NPK fertilizer to improve biomass and N, P and K uptake by barley. Compared to mineral fertilizer, water soluble P concentration is five times lower in the presence of frass, which prevents p from loss and sorption onto soil constituents. More importantly, BioLoG ecoplate reveals that addition of frass stimulates soil microbial activity, especially when it is mixed with mineral fertilizer, suggesting a synergistic effect between both amendments. Taken together, our results indicate that frass has a great potential to be used as a partial or a complete substitute for mineral npK fertilizer. this is especially relevant in the context of a reduced availability of mineral fertilizers while being consistent with circular economy's principles.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential use of mealworm frass as a fertilizer: Impact on crop growth and soil properties

Houben

Daoulas²,

Faucon

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

111

133

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“…Obviously, the importance to environmental sustainability of an organism that consumes fewer resources per output of animal protein is significant [18]. However, simply demonstrating that Insects-as-food is an emerging industry in Western countries as a solution to increased animal protein demand.…”

Section: Insects Are Efficient Feed Converters: Is That All We Need Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One idea that is gaining increasing attention is growing insects for mass consumption [6,[9][10][11][12]. Aside from the curiosity value of eating insects (at least from a western perspective), the main reasons why insect mass rearing is being taken seriously is the nutritional value of the insects [13][14][15][16] and their resource efficiency when converting organic matter into protein [17,18]. It is this efficiency that has sparked the most interest, with it having major implications for the economics and environmental sustainability of this fledging industry (especially relative to many livestock systems; [3,4]).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Approaching Ecological Sustainability in the Emerging Insects-as-Food Industry

Berggren

Jansson

Low

2019

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

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The emerging insects-as-food industry is increasingly promoted as a sustainable alternative to other animal protein production systems. However, the exact nature of its environmental benefits are uncertain because of the overwhelming lack of knowledge concerning almost every aspect of production: from suitable species, their housing and feed requirements, and potential for accidental release. If ecological sustainability is to be a hallmark of mass insect rearing for consumption, ecologists need to engage in research related to sustainability criteria that are directly linked to key elements of the development of the industry. There is more to this subject than simply comparing feed-conversion ratios (FCRs) of insects to traditional livestock production, and we highlight areas where research needs to be immediately focused.

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“…We know little about the interactions of edible insects with crop yields. The best data available are based on assumptions generalised across species in ways that even the authors admit are unlikely to be accurate (Wegier et al 2018;Payne and Van Itterbeeck 2017). Some insects-such as grasshoppers and crickets-are collected at multiple points in the middle of their life cycle with the explicit aim of limiting crop damage.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of defoliation by the edible caterpillar “chitoumou” (Cirina butyrospermi) on harvests of shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) and growth of maize (Zea mays)

et al. 2019

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Edible insects are found in agricultural systems worldwide, and are an important source of food and income. However, many edible insects are also pests of important food crops, which raises the question of how far their presence might be costly to farmers in terms of reduced crop yields. In this study we aimed to understand the impact of defoliation of shea trees by edible caterpillars on yields of shea and maize in a mixed agroforestry system in Burkina Faso, West Africa. We collected field data in two consecutive years. Our results suggest that tree defoliation by caterpillars has no effect on shea fruit yields, and that defoliation may have a positive effect on maize productivity. We conclude that this appears to be an example of an agricultural system in which nutritionally and economically important plants and insects are both harvested by humans without risking yield reductions of harvested plants.

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Beef or grasshopper hamburgers: The ecological implications of choosing one over the other

Cited by 31 publications

References 45 publications

Potential use of mealworm frass as a fertilizer: Impact on crop growth and soil properties

Potential use of mealworm frass as a fertilizer: Impact on crop growth and soil properties

Approaching Ecological Sustainability in the Emerging Insects-as-Food Industry

Effects of defoliation by the edible caterpillar “chitoumou” (Cirina butyrospermi) on harvests of shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) and growth of maize (Zea mays)

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