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I understand that, we can make 'high protein flour' out of crickets[1] it seems like we should be able to process Locusts into some sort of protein source for h
by ChuckMcM 7y ago
I understand that, we can make 'high protein flour' out of crickets[1] it seems like we should be able to process Locusts into some sort of protein source for human consumption.
But it is really hard to actually visualize/imagine these swarms without actually being there in one. The amount of infrastructure you would have to deploy essentially on a short term basis[2] is really infeasible with current technology.
[1] https://www.cricketflours.com/ https://www.cricketflours.com/
[2] Swarms are a function of environmental conditions, they grow exponentially but they die quickly when conditions change, it is the series of monsoons at the right time that have made this one so big. In "regular" years they are much smaller.
- cwmma 7y agoLocust are crickets so yes you would be able to
- ajnin 7y agoThat would mitigate the problem, but I don't think that could be used as a food source to replace what they destroyed, they eat up to their own weight per day, however insect digestion is pretty inefficient, they leave a lot of nutrients behind, so eating them up would only partially replace the losses. Also catching a substantial fraction of a swarm that is spread over a very very large area and moves by up to 150 km a day would be very hard, and is largely impossible currently.
- ChuckMcM 7y agoExactly. The thought though was that if you created systems for processing locusts into flour around the area then that might incentivize people to catch and bring them locusts. If that became a regular thing it would keep populations down so that even in ideal swarm conditions the growth would not be as severe. And it could provide an indigenous economic stream, always a good thing in Africa.