D3171: Insect farming contribute to regenerative agriculture

The global population is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050 (Crist, et al. 2017), requiring increased agricultural output by 70% (Lal, 2015). The agricultural industry requires high input of water and high quality soil to generate high yield. Climate change facilitates irregular precipitation and runoff patterns (Frederick et al, 1997), overuse of synthetic fertilizers lead to soil degradation that reduces crop yields, increases drought susceptibility, and elemental imbalance (Lal, 2009). The livestock sector is the largest emitter of methane in agriculture, which perpetuates greenhouse effects greater than carbon dioxide. Livestock farming is inefficient, already 70% of agricultural land and 30% of all land on earth are used to raise livestock (Dossey et al., 2016). Incorporating mass production of edible insects as an alternative food source can be an excellent way to make up for the shortcomings of traditional agriculture. Insect farming costs a fraction of inputs required to raise traditional livestock while providing an alternative protein source, and a much more complete nutritional profile than red meat. Wider adoption of consuming edible insects in the future increases food security, cuts down the scale of raising beef and pork , greatly reduces the use of water, land, and emission of greenhouse gases. A substantial byproduct of insect rearing, naturally formulated, dry frass, can be used as an alternative for synthetic fertilizers in home gardens and large scale agriculture production. This infographic demonstrates the zero waste approach of insect rearing providing an environmentally, economically, and nutritionally effective solution to regenerative agriculture.