AgriFutures Australia, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), have launched a new knowledge-sharing initiative to accelerate insect farming as an emerging industry in Africa and Australia.
The Emerging Insect Technology Hub (EIT-Hub) will centralise engagement and knowledge sharing around insects as food, animal feed and fertiliser, bringing together industry stakeholders, scientists and investors to discuss issues linked to emerging insect technologies.
The EIT-Hub has been developed by AgriFutures Australia, an Australian Commonwealth statutory Research and Development Corporation, ACIAR, the Australian Government’s specialist agricultural research-for-development agency, and icipe, an international scientific research institute based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Founding members of the EIT-Hub include Dr Chrysantus M. Tanga from icipe, Dr Anna Okello from ACIAR, and Dr Olivia Reynolds from AgriFutures Australia. Mr Duncan Rowland from the Insect Protein Association of Australia is the inaugural Chair of the EIT-Hub.
ACIAR Research Program Manager for Livestock Systems, Dr Anna Okello, says ACIAR research projects led by icipe since 2015 will provide a foundation of knowledge from which sectors in Africa and Australia can build.
‘The research in Eastern Africa has been conclusive; rearing insects for animal feed provides a nutritious, high-quality feed for fish, pigs and poultry that has various environmental benefits and is also scalable across different settings.
‘We’ve seen first-hand how the industry has advanced in Eastern Africa—growing from farm-level production through to small and medium enterprises that have generated employment for women and youths.
