RAP PUBLICATION 2013/03

Six-legged livestock: Edible insect farming, collection and marketing in Thailand

by Yupa Hanboonsong, Tasanee Jamjanya and Patrick B. Durst

Download Full Report  4.67 Mb

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Bangkok 2013

ABSTRACT

The world’s population is expected to surpass 9 billion by 2050. FAO estimates that global food production will need to expand by an estimated 60 percent from current levels. Meeting this massive additional demand will require concerted action on a number of fronts, including efforts to increase the production and consumption of currently under-utilized and under-appreciated foods. Edible insects compromise one such category. Insects offer several advantages as human food. They are extremely rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals, and at the same time are highly efficient in converting the food they eat into material that can be consumed by humans. This publication provides insight into the collection and farming, processing, marketing and trade of edible insects in Thailand – one of the few countries in the world to have developed a viable and thriving insect farming sector.

Table of Contents

Foreword Acknowledgements Executive summary Introduction Objective Data collection Edible insect consumption Farmed edible insects     Cricket farming     Palm weevil or sago larvae farming	[2.67 Mb]
Wild-harvested edible insects     Bamboo caterpillar     Weaver ant     Giant water bug     Grasshoppers Business and market channels     Subsistence and commercial use     Edible insect markets     Storage for edible insects     Imported insect products Recommendations Conclusion Literature cited	[2.15 Mb]

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