Written in one of my whacky moods, a rejected article for HT Edge:
Its tea-time and you want something nice and light to munch. How does a fried wasp sound? Or probably a “fat-bottomed” ant?
Before you shout “Atrocious” you should know that a policy paper on eating insects is being formally proposed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation. Touted as “Green Meat”, insect meat could be a highly simple, cost-effective solution to the twin problems of global warming and land-resource over-utilization. Arnold Van Huis, the author of the UN paper points out that at present livestock occupies 2/3rd of the world’s farmland and generates 20% of all greenhouse gases. With world population estimated at 9 billion in 2050, the meat consumption will shoot to such extents that the land needed to support livestock would amount to another Earth!
Compare this to the meager land insects occupy and the high levels of proteins, vitamins and mineral content they have (twice that of livestock). Indeed they could be the next big thing in food. They also come with the added benefit of 10 times less methane emission and 300 times less nitrous oxide (both potent greenhouse gases).
India could derive a few whacky benefits from the weird UN proposal, considering it is a tropical country where insects grow to large sizes and are easy to harvest. With 1500 varieties of insects to farm, we could export the newest delicacies on the block for huge profits. Insect farming would provide livelihood in a country where unemployment rules and no poverty alleviation programme has an impact. Farming of pests such as locusts would not only protect crops but would also benefit the environment by reducing use of pesticides. On the side, it would protect forests where wild insects are collected. It could also be a great solution to the food scarcity problem remote villages in India face.
“Ah! Here comes the yuck factor” you say, but you’ll be surprised to know that insects are eaten in many parts of India such as the Santhal tribal belts (Ant eggs and larvae) and the North East (Grasshoppers and Giant water Bugs). With a bohemian and increasingly daring generation coming of age, insects as food could just work, given the introduction is smooth and appetizing. So here’s to the new bug on the block!
