On 19 January 2022 (15:00 CET), the World Bank is hosting Insect and Hydroponic Farming in Africa: The New Circular Food Economy People.
People have eaten insects and hydroponic crops for hundreds of years, but farming them is new with huge potential for human food and animal feed all year round with very little resources. Farmed insects can be fed organic waste, then quickly become protein-rich foods for humans and animals. Waste from insects can then return to the soil as biofertilizer, creating a circular economy. Africa already has hydroponic farms and more than 850 insect farms that produce food and feed. But the sector is still in its infancy, with the potential to create millions of jobs, including for women and youth, if it is scaled up in Africa and beyond.
Participants to this event can learn from insect farmers, development experts and World Bank staff who are pushing the frontier of agriculture to create jobs, improve food security and save the planet.