Location: Poultry Production and Product Safety Research
Project Number: 6022-63000-006-042-R
Project Type: Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Apr 1, 2025
End Date: Mar 31, 2028
Objective:
1. Conduct laboratory and field research to identify and deliver optimum agrifood waste-insect production-frass fertilizer-cropping systems that will improve soil health, crop quality and yields, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, ultimately enhancing systems’ sustainability and promoting food security for underserved communities.
2. Demonstrate innovative and integrated agrifood waste-insect rearing-frass fertilizer systems at 5 demonstration sites (1 farm in Arkansas, 3 farms in South Carolina (SC), and 1 demonstration farm in North Carolina(NC) and SC), showcasing this work at 2 1890s outreach events (one field day in SC and one field day in NC).
3. Deliver lessons learned on converting agrifood waste into animal protein and high-value organic fertilizer through 2 technical bulletins in English and Spanish to nearly 40,000 individuals in the NCAT and non-profit Rhythmic Alliance for Community Sustainability (RACS) networks, reaching Latin and African Americans, tribal farmers, women in agriculture, 5,000 veterans in the Armed to Farm program, and economically and educationally disadvantaged groups in the Southeasrn United States.
4. Transfer information and share experiences through 1 NCAT-led workshop and 2 podcast episodes (NCAT “Voices from the Field”) to promote insect farming as a food waste management strategy and frass fertilizer as a sustainable and viable fertilizer source, creating future marketing opportunities that mutually benefit agricultural producers and consumers.
Approach:
The overall goal of this project is to enhance whole systems’ sustainability through insect farming and the widespread use of frass as an organic fertilizer source, removing barriers for creating value-added products in the poultry and aquaculture sectors, allowing for additional return on investment, and enhanced food security and reliance on local resources.
This project uses insect farming as a sustainable agricultural practice to reduce food waste and produce high-quality animal protein and organic fertilizer ‘frass’, while enhancing regional food security in the Southeastern US. Rearing insects has gained global attention as a circular economy and eco-friendly alternative to annual grains for animal feed, as they do not require annual soil disturbance, fossil fuel-based fertilizers, and irrigation, thus generating substantially less greenhouse gases (GHG), surface water pollution, and degradation of natural resources compared to conventional agriculture and livestock systems. Further, insect farming has a low-cost point of entry and can be done on smaller scales, being an attractive farming operation for underserved and historically disadvantaged communities, allowing for income diversification and greater food security in the Southern SARE region. The primary by-product of insect farming – frass – is enriched in macronutrients and can be used as an organic fertilizer and plant growth promoter, potentially displacing synthetic fertilizers and consequently reducing farm operational costs. Advancing sustainable insect production systems and delivering lessons learned through effective training and technical assistance can benefit the entire insect protein industry and promote community social and economic development. Here, we will identify and quantify food and agricultural waste to be used in insect farming in the Southern SARE region and explore agricultural options for insect frass provided by industry partners (Tyson, Aspire, and Ovipost), investigating impacts on soil health, pathogens, soil CO2 emissions, crop yields and nutritional value. The knowledge gained will be passed on through technical bulletins sent to over 5,000 veterans in the Armed to Farm Program (National Center for Appropriate Technology) in collaboration with the non-governmental organization Rhythmic Alliance for Community Sustainability (RACS), reaching Latin and African Americans, women in agriculture, and historically disadvantaged groups. Integrated food waste-insect rearing-fertilizer systems will be demonstrated at field days and outreach events on farms in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Florida. Lastly, workshops and podcasts will be delivered to stakeholders interested in adopting insect farming as a novel food waste management strategy that mutually benefits agricultural producers and consumers. The overall outcome of this project is the advancement of circular economy and the recycling of food waste through insect farming, leading to the displacement of fossil-based inputs, promoting soil and environmental health and facilitating the access to nutritious food.