The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released a joint Request for Information (RFI) to learn more about the emerging global insect production industry.
The request, intended for research and planning purposes, aims to understand the role of insect production and farming in global food security, climate response, environmental management, and livelihoods. It also focuses on insect production for animal feed.
A primary goal of the request is to explore how the USAID and the USDA can best lead or support insect production activities in the future. The request also intends to help the U.S. government understand the potential challenges, benefits, environmental impacts, and inclusive development considerations of insect production.
The 2021 U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP26) fostered discussions on cutting emissions and adapting to climate change. Now, the USAID and the USDA hope to leverage market trends that suggest insect production could reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from waste.
According to the USAID and the USDA, insect production has the “potential to provide sustainable solutions to many challenging development problems such as food insecurity, overharvest of marine fish and wild animals (bushmeat) for consumption, waste disposal, mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, and adaptation to climate change.”
The USAID and the USDA invites the private sector and other non-traditional USAID partners to respond to the request—including insect businesses, animal feed businesses, academics working on edible insect production, and public and private sector entities working in climate and food-related fields. They also seek feedback from local organizations and businesses operating in, or looking to operate in, target countries for Feed the Future, the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative.
All responses to the RFI must be sent via email to insect-protein@usaid.gov no later than December 22, 2021 by 5:00 p.m. EST.
Photo courtesy of Joshua J. Cotten, Unsplash
