Insect agriculture: A sustainable alternative to animal protein

• Author:
• Author name

  Quantumrun Foresight
• December 15, 2021

Insight summary

Insect farming is gaining traction due to its lower environmental impact and potential to address global food security issues. This emerging industry, which involves breeding insects for food and other uses, requires fewer resources than conventional farming and has the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, the shift towards insect agriculture also presents challenges, including the need for workforce retraining, potential ecological risks, and complex regulatory issues.

Insect agriculture context

As of 2021, the majority of the world’s agricultural sector diverts the majority of its plant output as feed for livestock production, while livestock farmers produce animal protein for protein-packed pet and human consumption. However, global meat production is resource-intensive, environmentally unfriendly, and uses several harmful and unethical practices in its treatment of animals—all factors that are encouraging agriculture researchers to explore better alternatives. 

Insect farming or “mini-livestock farming” is the practice of breeding insects as livestock. While insects are a common part of diets in much of Africa and Asia, in Western nations, insect farming remains (2021) largely restricted to animal feed and pet food. Insect by-products are often used as fertilizers and for medical purposes. In addition, insect farms are effective at recycling industrial food waste as feed for insects.

According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), almost two thousand species of insects are edible. Insects produce fewer greenhouse gases and ammonia. Insect farming can also help farmers save precious resources by requiring much less land and water than cattle production for the same output by weight. These factors alone present insect breeding as more sustainable compared to other food alternatives. 

Disruptive impact

Researchers are exploring using insects as an alternative source of protein for humans. For example, the UK is testing insect-based snacks in supermarkets. Companies like Sainsbury’s are selling bags of roasted crickets to test consumer attitudes towards insect-based foods. 

Focusing on insect-based alternatives to traditional protein sources creates a new industry that’s already showing exponential growth. Reports predict that the industry will be worth  USD $7.96 billion by 2030. In addition, the industry has garnered significant investors, such as McDonald’s and Upfront Ventures, pointing to a potential uptick in insect-based alternatives. 

Such investments create local jobs for insect farmers and the expansion of specialized insect farming ventures, especially as more restaurants and grocery stores opt for insect-based options. If consumer attitudes to insect-based foods shift, it could become among the most sustainable ways to add protein to the human diet. However, as of 2021, most investors in this niche are focused on the mass production of insects to sell as sustainable animal feed options.

Implications of insect agriculture

Wider implications of insect agriculture may include:

• Reduced carbon footprint of livestock production by shifting livestock feed to insects.


• Reduced size of the global livestock industry, lessening the impact of associated unethical practices, and redirecting jobs to more sustainable efforts. 


• A significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, especially if adopted on a global scale. 


• More jobs aligned with insect-based food production, especially eco-friendly and high protein staples (like cricket flour). 


• Addressing global food security issues, reducing hunger and malnutrition rates, particularly in regions where traditional livestock farming is challenging.


• Significant changes in labor skills and practices, leading to job displacement in traditional agricultural sectors and requiring extensive workforce retraining.


• Unforeseen ecological impacts, such as the potential for invasive species issues if farmed insects escape into local ecosystems.


• Complex legislative and regulatory challenges as governments grapple with how to safely and ethically regulate this new industry.

Questions to consider

• Do you think Western consumers can develop a positive attitude towards insect-based snacks and meals?


• Do you think insect farming is more cost-effective than cattle on an industrial level?