I had an incredible time chatting with Michael Vincent on The Sustainiacs podcast, diving deep into the world of insect farming and its potential to reshape agriculture, waste management, and sustainability.
It was a fun and insightful conversation where we covered everything from my journey into insect farming to how Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) can solve some of the biggest challenges we face today.
We started with a look at how my background in crickets opened my eyes to the potential of insects in creating sustainable food systems. While crickets are great for human nutrition, I quickly realized that black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) have exponentially more upside potential. They can thrive on almost any organic waste and turn it into high-value protein and fertilizer.
This process addresses two major issues: transforming food waste and creating truly sustainable alternatives to fishmeal and soymeal for animal feed. It also creates high-quality organic fertilizer, a necessity for farms of all sizes.
Michael and I also discussed some of the incredible success stories I’ve seen firsthand, like helping smallholder farmers in Cambodia double their income by farming crickets, or working with smallholder coffee farmers in Mexico to improve their soil health using BSFL-derived fertilizers.
These moments are what fuel my passion for this process and why I firmly believe that black soldier fly larvae can play a major role at the heart of all regenerative agriculture systems.
Another highlight of the conversation was exploring how insect farming can scale and the challenges that each system brings: from industrial setups in Europe with robotics and vertical farming to simpler “tent and pond” systems in tropical countries, along with the growing popularity of modular container systems.
If you’re curious about how bugs can transform the way we think about food, farming, and sustainability, check out the full episode of The Sustainiacs! Michael and I had a blast breaking it all down and getting lost in some fun rabbit holes. Hopefully you’ll find it both informative and inspiring.
Listen to my recent Sustainiacs episode here or wherever you get your podcasts, just search for The Sustainiacs.
YouTube video of the episode is below.
Let me know what you think! And if you’d like to have me on your podcast, let’s talk!