While Americans don’t exactly queue up to devour a bowl of crickets, eating insects as part of a balanced diet is an important part of the culture in many other countries around the world.
However, the trend could start on a larger scale here in the US, as biologists say edible insects may offer solutions to hunger and climate change.
“They’re low in fat, high in nutrients, minerals and calcium,” says Irina Andrianavalona, processing manager at Valala Farms in Madagascar.
Unlike traditional forms of protein like beef, environmentalists say creepy crawlies like crickets, mealworms, waxworms and more require less water, food and space to grow.
This creates opportunities to reduce deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions and resource consumption.
According to the Worldwide Fund for Nature, “25% of global land use, land-use change and forestry emissions are caused by beef production” as more and more of the world’s remaining forests are converted to farmland for cattle and crops.
But in countries like Madagascar, researchers say making room for more cows is not sustainable. Instead, the production of edible insects is increasing.
“This will be our contribution to our fight against malnutrition in Madagascar,” said Irina Andrianavalona.
Meanwhile, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization says farmers around the world need to increase the size of their crops by almost 70% by 2050.
While insects can fill our stomachs, the UN says their waste can also be turned into inexpensive fertilizer for growing crops.
Barclays Bank estimates show that the value of the insect protein market is expected to grow from less than $1 billion to more than $8 billion by 2030.
Fox News’ Marianne Rafferty contributed this report.
