Speaker: Valerie Stull (PhD, MPH) – Faculty Associate Dept of Community and Environmental Sociology and Research Scientist, Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment and Amira Mahmoud (PhD) – Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences
Pressured on all sides, global food systems—and animal agriculture in particular—are at an inflection point. Resource intensive feed production is particularly tenuous as the demand for all meat rises. Moreover, upwards of 40% food in the U.S. is lost or wasted, generating sizable methane emissions. Could the small but mighty black soldier fly (BSF) offer one means to improve food system sustainability? BSF larvae can efficiently convert organic waste into valued products (e.g., quality protein, oils, chitin, and organic fertilizer) with minimal environmental impact. Although already approved for poultry, swine, and salmonid feed in the U.S., little is known about the utility of BSF farming in the Midwest nor how it might be used in practice to address institutional waste challenges. This project aims to establish and optimize an on-campus insect colony to ameliorate food and other waste challenges.