Today we have some good news, some bad news, and some very good news for the Switched ON Community.
The first piece of good news is that global population growth is slowing. The eminent Pew Research Center estimates that for the first time in modern history, the world’s population will stop growing by 2100.
World’s population is projected to nearly stop growing by the end of the century
The bad news is that the same research says by the time we reach 2100, the population of our planet will be about 10.9 billion, up from about 7.7 billion today.
If nothing were to change, the stress on our environment would be unbearable.
The very good news is that it seems we’re on the cusp of a technology-driven food revolution. If it delivers on its promise, and in tandem with the renewable-energy revolution, humans will save Mother Earth from the precipice.
Many of us in the Switched ON Community are familiar with vertical farming, plant-based meats and bio meat. So here’s another technology to add to our food future. Insect farming!
This video introduces us to Kieran Whitaker, the founder of Entocycle. Located literally under a railway bridge in central London, Entocycle uses black soldier flies to consume food waste. The flies are bred in ideal conditions and reproduce at a prolific rate.
Ninety-five percent of the fly larvae are then collected and processed into a very high protein powder, which in turn is used for fish and pet food.
And soon, not just for cats and dogs and fish. According to Kieran, soon people in the West will be joining the 2 billion people who already include insects in their diet.
We’ve all become starkly aware that our globalised food production system isn’t sustainable, and at the same time, the amount of food we waste is a true scandal.
Entocycle is far from the only player in the insect farming sector, there are others which are pioneering different systems and different insects. But taken together, surely these emerging agribusinesses are a big part of our sustainable food future.
As Kieran says, engineers are our future farmers.
Entocycle
8 Insect-based Pet Food and Animal Feed Startups
https://www.nanalyze.com/2019/03/insect-based-pet-food-animal-feed/
