Can edible insects help fight hunger in Congo?

Inside this orphanage in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital Kinshasa, children are being fed thick white worms, known locally as mpose.

Edible insects, including larvae, are increasingly being studied for their potential as a sustainable alternative form of protein to meat.

And some say they could help address malnutrition in the west African nation.

Around one quarter of Congo’s 99 million population is facing a food crisis, and one half of all orphans are suffering from malnutrition.

That’s according to the World Food Programme.

Kinshasa-based non-profit organization Farms for Orphans provides protein-rich larvae to local orphanages to help feed deprived children.

Agricultural engineer Francoise Lukadi runs the organization.

/”We realized that there was a serious problem of malnutrition and lack of nutrients among children, especially those under 5. So we thought, here’s what we can do to solve this problem once and for all, why not put in place a sustainable solution that can address both child malnutrition and environmental problems? So we turned to insects./”

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization says insects can be a rich source of fat, protein, vitamins, fibre and minerals.

Some can be used either for human consumption like in Congo, or for animal feed in Benin.

Farms for Orphans produces up to 660 pounds of palm larvae per month – and provides meals to several hundred children per quarter.

The organization received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for its initial research and launch.

Lukadi hopes to produce enough larvae to sell commercially to subsidize the donations to orphanages.

Her team currently supplies four restaurants in Kinshasa, where palm worms are becoming increasingly popular.

The organization is also studying how to grow the larvae and harvest the larvae sustainably in laboratories.

But some critics say it would be difficult to ramp up production to a commercial scale due to a lack of adequate resources.

Several studies say commercial-scale insect farming could also pose food safety risks, as some require feed crops that could otherwise go directly toward human consumption. – Report from Reuters

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