In this episode, you will listen to Daniela Peguero, researcher at Eawag’s Department of Sanitation, Water and Solid Waste for Development (SANDEC), working on the implementation of black soldier fly farming in several African countries through projects such as BUGS Africa and SWIFT (Sustainable Waste-based Insect Farming Technologies).

We discussed practical field experiences from Uganda and Malawi, where black soldier fly larvae are used as a locally adapted protein source for livestock. Daniela explained how substrate availability — from pig manure to hotel food waste and invasive water hyacinth — influences the bioconversion process and operational decisions.

Among the topics we covered were feed costs, faster chicken growth when larvae partially replace imported feed, methane emissions linked to open dumping, and the importance of adapting insect farming systems to real environmental conditions.

Daniela also introduced the open-access Simba approach, developed to support small-scale farmers, and described the WhatsApp community created to facilitate peer-to-peer troubleshooting, matchmaking, and knowledge exchange across low- and middle-income contexts.

The conversation also touches on the upcoming Insects To Feed The World conference, where a dedicated session will focus on black soldier fly implementation in these regions.

My name is Umberto Diecinove. I am a documentary photographer and I am currently leading a project titled I N S C T S, which explores the potential role of insects in addressing environmental and social challenges. I do this by traveling and photographing research centers, farms, communities, and companies around the world, engaging with researchers and practitioners working in the field. I believe insects could represent an important part of future food and agricultural systems.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, you will hear from Meghan Barrett, Assistant Professor of Biology at Indiana University Indianapolisand Founding Director of the Insect Welfare Research Society, together with Laura Gasco from the University of Torino.

We discuss what animal welfare means from a scientific perspective and why welfare should not be confused with productivity — a crucial issue as insect farming continues to scale. Meghan explains how welfare science evaluates animals through physiological, behavioral, and environmental indicators, and why individual experience matters.

The conversation explores concrete examples, including the use of insects in poultry feed, and examines how welfare considerations intersect with public trust and the “social license to operate.” We also look at emerging data on public perceptions of insect welfare and why transparency and ethical credibility are essential for the long-term development of the insect farming sector.

Laura Gasco introduces the next edition of Insects to Feed the World, taking place in Torino from June 9th to 12th, and renews the call for abstracts, open until January 23rd.

My name is Umberto Diecinove, I am a documentary photographer and I am currently leading a project titled I N S C T S which explores the potential role of insects in addressing environmental and social challenges. I’m doing it traveling, photographing research centres, farms, communities and companies all over the world and engaging with world experts, visionary entrepreneurs, activists and people working in the field. I do believe insects could be the next game changer.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, you will hear from Adi Abada and Idan Aliagor, both from FreezeM.

We discussed the challenges that first-generation insect farming companies faced — mainly, having to build everything from scratch. As Idan explained, trying to manage the entire value chain at once made it extremely difficult to optimize any individual segment. Today, the rise of specialized players like FreezeM signals a maturing market, where segmentation is finally taking place, much like in other established industries.

The central themes of our conversation were the cost and variability of substrates and breeding optimization.

Idan described how data-driven methodologies and AI-based prediction tools can help companies evaluate new waste mixes before committing to trials, opening the door to more diverse, lower-cost inputs.

In his own words:

“The real deal will be to handle waste streams that might be seasonal or imperfect but are financially sustainable.”

Since FreezeM works with many clients globally, the team has a unique perspective on the industry. We therefore discussed genetic strains, substrate portfolios, the early industry’s overly optimistic expectations — and the possibility of a coming renaissance.

As Adi concludes:

“You need to be excited, then disappointed — and from there, you can grow.”

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.