Date released
18 October 2022

ACIAR-funded research from Africa has helped form the basis of a new research hub launched in Australia to share knowledge about and discuss emerging insect technology with industries using insects as human food, animal feed, fertiliser and other products such as oil.

The Emerging Insect Technology Hub (EIT-Hub) marks the first ACIAR partnership with AgriFutures Australia, one of Australia’s statutory Research and Development Corporations (RDCs). Also partnering to found the hub is the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), which is based in Nairobi, Kenya, and is a global leader in insect science.

The partnership between icipe, ACIAR and AgriFutures is enabling collaboration among research and industry partners, scientists and investors in Africa and Australia.

Dr Segenet Kelemu, director-general and CEO of icipe, is excited by the possibilities rearing insects can bring for Africa, and now Australia and the rest of the world, including the benefits to the environment.

Dr Kelemu said insects are catching global attention for their potential in the transition to a greener environment and to a circular economy.

‘You can rear insects rapidly on biological waste – their conversion rate is much higher than any other animals,’ said Dr Kelemu. ‘Their environmental footprint is also much smaller – for one thing, you can rear insects with little or no water.

‘This makes them a more environmentally friendly alternative to other proteins used in animal and aquafeeds, such as soybeans or fishmeal.’

They are also a potential source of high-value products such as oils, chitin and chitosan, frass fertiliser, antimicrobial products, enzymes and biodiesels. These products have diverse uses in the energy, industrial, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, food and crop protection sectors.

Insects are catching global attention for their potential in the transition to a greener environment and to a circular economy.

The first steps

The Australia-based EIT-Hub was announced earlier this year, with a steering committee including representatives from Africa and Australia to be formed. Mr Duncan Rowland from the Insect Protein Association of Australia will chair the steering committee.

Dr Anna Okello, ACIAR research program manager, Livestock Systems, said ACIAR-funded research projects in eastern Africa led by icipe since 2014 have provided a foundation of information that the EIT-Hub will build on. The partnership with AgriFutures provides a new avenue for bringing knowledge gained from ACIAR-supported work internationally back to Australia, and the Indo-Pacific regions that ACIAR supports.

‘We are able to see what this type of research can contribute to the global insect technology space, and how investments ACIAR makes offshore through the aid program can complement investments that our RDCs make here and move that industry forward.’

Dr Okello said the contexts and uses of insect-based products are very different in Africa and Australia, but the hub focuses on the public good aspect of emerging insect technologies. These include quality assurance, legislation, knowledge exchange and research. These areas of common interest will be the focus of the EIT-Hub to support the growth of this new sector in Australia and elsewhere.

Woman with large bag of black soldier larvae
Australia will benefit from icipe projects in Africa, which have involved entrepreneur Talash Huijbers, who produces and packages dry black soldier fly larvae. Photo: ACIAR

An emerging industry

The first proposed project for the EIT-Hub is a ‘gold standard manual for black soldier fly production, processing and use’. This will put the research already carried out on black soldier flies into a more accessible format and enable stakeholders to discuss issues across the globe.

AgriFutures Australia senior manager, Emerging Industries, Dr Olivia Reynolds believes this first project is a good representation of the overarching purpose of the EIT-Hub, and AgriFutures’ involvement.

‘There’s a lot of learnings on black soldier flies that could come together into an instruction manual that would help industry to refine processes and develop technologies. That speaks to our fundamental reason for existing: knowledge sharing and a collaborative approach to scientific endeavours,’ said Dr Reynolds.

Black soldier flies feed on organic waste and can be harvested within two weeks to be used as a highly nutritious animal feed. They have a short life cycle, which means they reproduce quickly and have the added benefit of producing insect frass (excrement) that can be used as a fertiliser.

The research in eastern Africa with icipe has shown that rearing insects, such as black soldier flies, for animal feed provides a high-protein feed for animals including fish, pigs and poultry. Emerging insect industries such as this have also been a point of interest for AgriFutures Australia.

‘Insects are an area where AgriFutures currently invests within the Emerging Industries Program because we’ve identified insects as an industry with high growth potential in Australia,’ said Dr Reynolds.

‘The EIT-Hub is a mechanism through which we can bring the industry together like ACIAR and icipe to exchange knowledge and ideas and to aid the growth and development of the industry.

‘And because there is a lot of common ground surrounding insects, we thought this is much bigger than Australia. And there was a clear opportunity to connect with Africa, so that is our starting point. But our goal for the EIT-Hub is to expand further across the globe.’

The first proposed project for the EIT-Hub is a ‘gold standard manual for black soldier fly production, processing and use’. This will put the research already carried out on black soldier flies into a more accessible format and enable stakeholders to discuss issues across the globe.

AgriFutures Australia senior manager, Emerging Industries, Dr Olivia Reynolds believes this first project is a good representation of the overarching purpose of the EIT-Hub, and AgriFutures’ involvement.

‘There’s a lot of learnings on black soldier flies that could come together into an instruction manual that would help industry to refine processes and develop technologies. That speaks to our fundamental reason for existing: knowledge sharing and a collaborative approach to scientific endeavours,’ said Dr Reynolds.

Black soldier flies feed on organic waste and can be harvested within two weeks to be used as a highly nutritious animal feed. They have a short life cycle, which means they reproduce quickly and have the added benefit of producing insect frass (excrement) that can be used as a fertiliser.

The research in eastern Africa with icipe has shown that rearing insects, such as black soldier flies, for animal feed provides a high-protein feed for animals including fish, pigs and poultry. Emerging insect industries such as this have also been a point of interest for AgriFutures Australia.

‘Insects are an area where AgriFutures currently invests within the Emerging Industries Program because we’ve identified insects as an industry with high growth potential in Australia,’ said Dr Reynolds.

‘The EIT-Hub is a mechanism through which we can bring the industry together like ACIAR and icipe to exchange knowledge and ideas and to aid the growth and development of the industry.

‘And because there is a lot of common ground surrounding insects, we thought this is much bigger than Australia. And there was a clear opportunity to connect with Africa, so that is our starting point. But our goal for the EIT-Hub is to expand further across the globe.’