Madagascar has the fourth highest chronic malnutrition rate in the world, affecting forty-seven percent of all children 0-5 years. Traditional practices of farming and bush meat hunting do not provide affordable and accessible protein. Together with the Madagascar Biodiversity Centre and Entomo Farms, CPALI working to develop methods for farming for native Malagasy field crickets, native fulgoridae insects and Bombyx mori pupae, a byproduct of silk production.
Traditional farming practices in Madagascar cannot meet the nutritional needs of the population. We aim to combat poverty and malnutrition through the use and promotion of low cost insect protein. Farming crickets and fulgoridae insects and harvesting silkworm pupae currently wasted by silkworm farmers, represent 3 new sources of low cost protein accessible to communities in remote areas and urban centers.
We will work to introduce 3 new types of insect protein in Madagascar. CPALI is working to develop commercial cricket farming with a team of organizations. At the demonstration site, the SEPALI team is learning how to farm fulgoridae insects that are currently collected and eaten locally. Members of the Tana silk team are purchasing domesticated silk worm cocoons from existing farmers and organizing them to remove the pupae, dry and sell them in local markets as a low cost protein.
Insects convert a wide range of inaccessible resources to accessible human food with about twice the efficiency of chickens and pigs and six times the efficiency of cattle. They provide high-quality monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids and are rich sources of minerals and vitamins such as iron, zinc, copper, magnesium, selenium, biotin and pantothenic acid. Insect protein could be particularly important for addressing malnutrition in isolated areas of Madagascar.
