Edible insect farming as an emerging and profitable enterprise in East Africa.
Chrysantus M Tanga, James P Egonyu, Dennis Beesigamukama, Saliou Niassy, Kimathi Emily, Henlay Jo Magara, Evanson R Omuse, Sevgan Subramanian, Sunday Ekesi
Author Information
Chrysantus M Tanga: International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya. Electronic address: ctanga@icipe.org.
James P Egonyu: International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
Dennis Beesigamukama: International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
Saliou Niassy: International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
Kimathi Emily: International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
Henlay Jo Magara: International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
Evanson R Omuse: International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
Sevgan Subramanian: International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
Sunday Ekesi: International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
In East Africa, insect farming is a rapidly growing business providing access to 'climate-smart' protein, other nutrients, and income. With the continental drive to transform existing food systems that are becoming continuously unsustainable due to scarcity of arable land and water, and high ecological imprint, insect farming for food and feed with circular economy potential has gained remarkable interest. In this review, we report on the recent research trends on key substrates and insect species commonly farmed, map of commercial enterprises, insect nutritional values, processing techniques, marketing, regulatory framework, and lessons learnt on insect farming. These findings provide important answers to both technical and economic factors of insect farming and provide a clear roadmap for scaling these technologies in a phased approach through effective public-private partnerships offering interesting opportunities for implementing a circular food economy.
