A $2.2 million National Science Foundation grant will establish the center, where scientists will research the farming of insects as a potential food source.
Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists will explore insect farming for food and feed in response to climate change and shrinking food supplies for a growing global population.
A newly awarded $2.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation has established the Center for Environmental Sustainability through Insect Farming. The Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has been assigned as the lead site for the center, which will be a collaborative effort with Mississippi State University (MSU) and Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis (IUPUI). Joining the universities will be 34 U.S. and global industrial partners including Mars Inc., Tyson Foods and insect farming pioneers such as Aspire Food Groups, Protix and Beta Hatch Inc.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates traditional agriculture will fall about 40% short of the world’s food supply needs by 2050. Insect farming has been identified as a practical, economical, environmentally sound and sustainable method for producing high-value protein.
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