YUCK! blurts out from your mouth; same thing most children blurt out when trying fish or onions for the very first time. But you know the adage "Don't knock it until you try it!" and I have news for you: kids are known to eat bugs. I certainly did, I'm sure you have too. Now on to the meat of the matter. 

Global warming, attributed to pollution from human consumption of all resources, will adversely affect all future crops and livestock cultivated for human consumption. Regardless of the demands and production of all consumable goods in the interim, the feedlots for raising any and all livestock are destined to dwindle in incremental percentages.  The reductions of herds translates to the reduction of cattle slaughter. In trying to maintain herd sizes, the expected heifer carcass weight will decline.  Starting with year 2022, Sterling Marketing projects a 3% reduction or 1 million less slaughter cattle for the market. The prosperity of investors will be for the short term as prices rise over 20%, but eventually the impact from climate change data will be fraught with a competition that will damage all expenditures and commerce moving forward.

How does the average person mitigate the empty wallet syndrome and substitute alternatives for expensive proteins? Welcome a superior sustainable crop not only rich in all nutritional categories but can potentially stave off the epidemic of the coming world hunger and malnutrition, edible insects.

According to a National Library of Medicine study by Miami University and University of Massachusetts scientists, 'edible insects may have superior health benefits due to their high levels of vitamin B12, iron, zinc, fiber, essential amino acids, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and antioxidants.'  Further resulting health benefits from the nutrition of edible insects are 'improved prevention and management of chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, and enhanced immune function.' Agnieszka Orkusz, a Biotechnology and Food Analysis scientist at the Wroclaw University of Economics and Business in Warsaw Poland compiled data that found 100g of edible insects is roughly equivalent to 100g of meat in nutritional value.

Analysis of the world's growing population by Dr. Amrou Awaysheh, Business Sustainability Lab at Indiana University, and Dr. Christine J. Picard, IUPUI
School Of Science, states "by 2050, the earth will have nearly 10 billion people. The demand for protein will exceed our ability to procure it."  While animals require large carbon footprints to sustain production for consumption, edible insects by comparison require less land, less feed, less water, less transportation fuel, less machinery and less human labor.  Lowering the carbon footprint from all the processes to cultivate insect crops can only lower the impact to global warming.  One can surmise an insect rancher will feel much less impact of losing an insect from wandering aimlessly off, than from a cow disappearing into the distance.

I remember no ominously unhealthy reactions to picking up bugs when tasting them as a child. My curiosity is piqued. Perhaps a fried cricket kabob or a cockroach ice cream cone will be on order. Yum!

Sources:

https://www.agweb.com/news/livestock/beef/cattle-outlook-optimistic-2022

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33397123/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33917531/#affiliation-1

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/02/how-insects-positively-impact-cli...

Photo by Modern Entomophagy Group on Facebook.com.