POP3 Subsidy project InsectHub

“Alone you go faster, but together you go further.”
That is the motto of the cooperation partners of the InsectHub project.

The collaboration between Wadudu Insecten Centrum, Entofarm, Eefting, Wormenkwekerij Wasse, Maatschap Aalbers and Sijbenga aims to establish a sustainable insect value chain. At present, such a sustainable and transparent chain does not yet exist within the insect sector. Many parties do not cooperate and do not share their knowledge or research. As a result, the insect value chain is highly closed, with very little openness. This is unfortunate, as insects have strong potential to significantly contribute to solving global food challenges. Insects can play an important role in circular agriculture, converting residual streams from Dutch food production into valuable products suitable for food, feed, and industrial applications.

With support from ELFPO (POP3), the partners can collaborate on insect farming and accelerate each other’s progress. In addition, specialization will take place among the different farms. Some companies will focus on breeding, others on rearing parent stock, and others on the sales and distribution side of the chain.

The project focuses on the biobased economy, particularly through the processing of residual streams and preparing insects for food, feed, and industrial uses.

Furthermore, the project contributes to structural soil improvement by applying insect frass (insect manure) to agricultural land, which is expected to stimulate soil life.

Objectives

• Sustainable insect value chain → establishing a fully functioning chain (potentially in cooperative form) from which all participants benefit.

• Quality label → developing a certification system to which the insect value chain commits.

• Responsible manure and dead-insect handling → ensuring sustainable use of insect frass within conventional and organic agriculture, and responsible processing of dead insects. The manure should contribute to long-term soil health and sustainability.

• Operational insect farms → multiple insect farming companies functioning within different stages of the value chain.

• Insect products on the market → secure sales channels for insect products through contracts with various institutions.

This project is made possible by the ELFPO – European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe invests in its rural areas.