Agricultural Insect Cluster (K-ORA-220051)

Main objective: To create a demand-driven vertical chain collaboration for the production and processing of black soldier fly larvae on an agricultural scale. Research question: How should the different links work together to achieve an economically viable, demand-driven production and processing of black soldier fly larvae? Insects are a promising sustainable alternative to conventional protein sources. They meet the requirements of a more sustainable society because they can be grown with a lower ecological impact. For example, black soldier fly larvae can convert low-value organic by-products into high-quality biomass with a protein content of more than 40%. However, breeding insects is still a relatively new concept in the agricultural sector, while the production of conventional proteins can count on years of knowledge and experience. Starting producers are often confronted with a lot of risks that make it almost impossible to develop an economically viable company. For example, the demand for insects is currently still very irregular and at the same time, large volumes are often requested to be delivered in one go. This is impossible for starting producers without major and risky investments. Moreover, the companies that are already active in this sector work very individually and often keep their doors closed to start-ups and other companies. In most livestock farming systems there is decentralization of breeding, fattening and slaughter of the animals. This has the advantage that these actions can be carried out very efficiently, but the imbalance between supply and demand is often a problem here as well. Chain collaboration is becoming increasingly common in the agri-food sector. In this collaboration, the forces of producer and customer are joined in order to arrive at an economically viable, sustainable and high-quality end product. This concept is currently not applied to the production of insects. By organizing in a cluster where the members specialize in the different activities from production to processing and where profit and risk are equally divided among the members, production and processing can of black soldier fly larvae can be made more efficient and feasible. In the AIC project, the various partners, each with their own expertise and specialization in the production and processing of insects, automation and data management, want to join forces to create a sustainable to create chain cooperation for the production and processing of black soldier fly larvae as a high-quality protein-rich raw material for animal feed.

Keywords:black soldier fly, value chain, cluster

Disciplines:Biotechnology for agricultural, forestry, fisheries and allied sciences not elsewhere classified, Food sciences and (bio)technology not elsewhere classified

Project type:Collaboration project