Amid the growing global concern about food security and meat consumption, edible insects are proving to be a main food source of the future.
The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations says they have essential nutrients and are high in protein, which can help the body to repair cells.
While these invertebrates can be incorporated into a healthy diet plan to promote health and well-being, some people still turn their noses up at them due to their appearance, taste and texture.
But there’s no denying that bugs and worms help support environmental and economic sustainability.
The most-consumed insects across the globe, crickets, are helping create a livelihood for farmers in Ban Pha Daeng Village of Lampang province of Thailand where edible insects have been served as part of the local diet for a long time while making the most of agricultural waste that promotes sustainability and helping reduce air pollution in the community.
On top of that, raising crickets offers a more sustainable alternative as it requires less capital outlay, space, animal feed and much less work than other agricultural activities.
A boom in bugs
Due to their nutritional value, their environmental and economic benefits, the demand for edible insects is flourishing.
According to the Trade Policy and Strategy Office, the global insect protein market was worth about 14 billion baht in 2024 and is expected to reach 70 billion baht in the next three years.
Thailand has a thriving insect industry, with more than 20,000 insect farms producing more than 7,000 tons of bugs per year. Crickets are the most in demand and one of the most widely reared insects in the country.
However, farmers are facing challenges in production costs and quality standards.
To help them tackle the problems, the Agricultural Research Development Agency (ARDA) has funded Lampang Rajabhat University to carry out a research study on cricket feed using agricultural waste.
“We hope that the research findings will help improve the production process so that it is up to food safety and hygiene standards and make it more friendly to the environment and, importantly, cut the production costs,” the ARDA’s director general Wichan Ingsrisawang said.
Asst. Prof. Thitikan Suriyasan of Lampang Rajaphat University who heads the research team, said his team selected three cricket farms to participate in a pilot study. Khun Ngaw Farm, Warangkana Farm and Rat Ban Suan Farm are all located in Ban Pha Daeng Village of Lampang province.
The team created a new feed formulation concept in response to the insects’ needs and conditions using up-to-date technology and developed a management system to follow up and evaluate production and markets in line with the RAINS for Upper Northern Food Valley program, which aims to increase the value of agricultural products and foods based on the BCG model.
It also set good agricultural practices for cricket farming that describe basic management techniques to increase consumer confidence in product safety derived from crickets, good manufacturing practices for food processing and the practice of promoting products as being environmentally friendly and safe.
“We expect the new feed formulation we developed will help minimize the cost and maximize the value of products,” Thitikan said.
He noted that his team mixed cassava leaf powder into commercial feeds to raise crickets.
“Farmers in the village grow cassava plants. They sell the roots and burn the leaves. So, we tested the leaves and found them good,” he said.
The study showed that the newly created feed formulation helped shorten the time for harvesting to about 43-45 days and cut the costs by 20-23%.
It also found that the crickets contain important nutrients including protein, carbohydrate, fat and dietary fiber content. In addition, the insects have ash, chitin, carotenoids, chlorophyll a and b, without cholesterol and cyanide.
“And we are glad that our project can help reduce air pollution,” Thitikan said adding that burning the leaves of cassava plants releases toxic gases that pollute the air.
More money to be made in crickets
Warangkana Jaidee, 48, a farmer who participated in the project said the crickets on her small-scale farm that are raised on the newly-developed feed formula have helped her cut costs and shown better growth performance than with commercial feed alone.
“We see our crickets grow bigger and faster when we feed them the new formula. Every 45 days, we have new crickets to sell. And that helps us save a lot of money on the feed,” she said.
It usually takes about 50-60 days for crickets to mature and be ready for harvest.
Warangkana started out raising crickets for human consumption at her home two years ago, with only two cement ponds to supplement her income.
Her business has grown so much that she now has more than 40 ponds, each 1x1.2 meters.
“I spent about 1,000-2,000 baht to build a rearing container. If you want to keep a calf, you may need tens of thousands of baht. The animal needs a lot of feeding and it takes years to become a cow,” she said.
Crickets are raised in a small space with little water and without much attention but care needs to be taken to protect them from potential risks like weather events during certain seasons, she noted.
When it comes to selling the insects, she deals in kilograms, each costing about 110-150 baht. She sells them frozen to customers in Chon Buri and Nakhon Phanom provinces who mostly fry them for sale.
Warangkana, who also grows mushrooms and cooks ready-to-eat food for sale, said cricket farming has become her main source of income. She earns about 10,000-15,000 baht from selling crickets alone.
“Raising crickets can be done with few supplies. You can raise them pretty much anywhere – underneath the house, in the backyard or a barn. They can eat a variety of food. You don’t have to leave home; caring for them takes a couple of hours a day. You can make a fortune raising these small bugs,” she said.
She is looking into processing her crickets into cricket powder in the near future.
Edible insects are nutritious
According to the FAO, more than 1,900 species of edible insects are consumed across the globe, with beetles, ants, bees, grasshoppers and crickets among the most widely enjoyed. In Thailand, nearly 200 different insect species are eaten.
Some insects including crickets and mealworms can be a good source of protein and provide essential amino acids. They are rich in energy, fat and fiber.
Edible insects also contain essential vitamins such as B12, riboflavin and vitamin A as well as minerals including phosphorus, calcium, iron and zinc.
According to the Thai Food Composition Database developed by Mahidol University’s Institute of Nutrition, every 100 grams (g) of crickets contains 15.7 g of protein and 5.7 g of fat, 9.5 mg of iron, and 125 kcal.
Beef, medium fat, meanwhile has more protein content (25.3 g) but nearly double the calories (220 kcal) and more than twice the amount of fat (13.2 g) per 100g.
The amount of protein found in 100 g of crickets (15.7 g) is higher than in plant protein source soybean curd (12.8 g), and a boiled egg (13.1 g), one of the best sources of protein you can eat.
Some insects including grasshoppers and locusts are particularly protein-rich. Every 100 g of grasshoppers contains 20.6 g of protein, while locusts, have 39.8 g, which gives the average man about 58% of his daily protein intake and the average woman about 70% of her daily protein intake.
The recommended amount of protein to consume daily in a normal diet is 0.8 to 1 g per kg of body weight for a 68 kg Thai man and a 57 kg woman.
