The surveys also show that high start-up costs and limited access to inputs— such as eggs, substrates, or hardware—can set back production. For example, in Madagascar, farmers who were interviewed said they had to travel more than 50 kilometers to buy insect eggs. In Kenya, the research team observed that many of these input and scaling constraints were removed when farmers had greater access to finance. 7. There is still some cultural aversion toward consuming insects, although this seems to be more of an issue in Europe and North America than in Africa. The survey results show that most of the interviewed farmers in Africa were comfortable with the idea of eating insects or feeding them to livestock. In Zimbabwe, 90 percent of people eat insects on a regular basis (Dube et al. 2013).
PHASE 1: ESTABLISHING AND PILOTING To establish frontier agricultural technologies—specifically, insect farming and crop hydroponics—requires several key actions. These include, but are not limited to, (1) forming producer groups; (2) building technical capacity among producers; (3) providing access to finance; (4) forming entomophagy and hydroponic associations; (5) raising public awareness of the social, economic, and environmental benefits of frontier agriculture; (6) strengthening regulatory frameworks; (7) monitoring and evaluating; and (8) piloting programs to increase the functionality, accessibility, and affordability of frontier agricultural production. These actions are described in the following subsections. Forming Community-Level Producer Groups National associations can assist small-scale producers in forming communitylevel producer groups. These groups could register as legal entities that supply frontier agricultural products to local communities and regional markets. The producer groups could provide several services to local producers, including trainings, information sharing, and group savings programs. Most important, the producer groups can advocate for the needs of small-scale producers to the national association and eventually to the government on policy. Building Technical Capacity on Frontier Agricultural Technologies among Producers Currently, insect farming and plant hydroponics are not well known or widely practiced in Africa. As a result, local and international stakeholders must disseminate information through collaboration, information sharing, and extension services. As this report has shown, many African farmers are already farming insects or have expressed an interest and willingness to try—but still lack the knowledge to expand or get started. Technical knowledge training would fill that gap. Instruction would include how to set up the 234
Insect and Hydroponic Farming in Africa
