Monica Awuor Ayieko

The aim of this study was to identify the selected socio-economic factors influencing consumption of lake flies and how they individually and collectively affect the consumption. A sample size of 385 respondents was derived using purposive and multistage sampling method. The target population is a representative of 8 ministry of livestock staff in...

The Insects for the Green Economy conference (IGEC) was held on 28–29 February 2024 at the African Institute for Capacity Development (AICAD) at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Nairobi, Kenya. The theme of the conference was sustainable food systems and livelihoods in Africa, aiming to explore into the multifaceted r...

Gryllus bimaculatus (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) is widely considered an excellent nutrient source for food and feed. Despite its economic importance, there is limited information on the impact of temperature on the bionomics of this cricket to guide its effective and sustainable mass production in its geographical range. The biological parameters of G....

Desert locusts ( Schistocerca gregaria ) pause a significant threat to food security. However, they also serve as a nutrient‐rich delicacy in many African and Arabic communities where they are traditionally harvested for food and feed. Traditional harvesting methods are inefficient, laborious and time‐consuming hence, the need to explore more conve...

Background Edible insects are a sustainable source of high-quality animal protein. Insect farming is gaining interest globally, particularly in low-income countries, where it may provide substantial nutritional and economic benefits. To enhance insect farming practices in Africa, new farming systems are being developed. However, knowledge on how to...

Lake Flies are edible insects with the potential of contributing to food security in that they are an alternative protein and micronutrient food source in freshwater lake regions. The main challenge in exploiting the lake flies is the difficulty in the collection. This study was conducted to identify sustainable traditional collection practices and...

Global food demand is expected to rise due to the population increase estimated to reach 9.5 billion by the year 2050. As a result, the available natural resources such as water sources and land will become scarce and overused. Indisputably, other sustainable food resources need to be identified and practised to solve the problem of food inadequacy...

Insects are rich in protein and fat, and various insect species contain substantial amounts of vitamins and minerals. Consequently, insects can greatly contribute to food and nutrition security. Entomophagy (consumption of insects as food) has been practised in Western Kenya for many years. However, in recent times the consumption of edible insects...

To meet the rising demand for animal-based protein, conventional livestock may prove expensive as the current production system remains unsustainable. This calls for intervention research on alternative sources of protein, hence a switch to affordable and environmentally acceptable protein sources of which approximately 1,900 insect species are con...

The motivation of consuming edible insects, particularly lake flies, has the potential of improving the problem that results from the inability to sustainably meet the rising demand for animal-based protein as a result of increased population growth and urbanization. The aim of this study was to identify the impact of the surrounding ecological fac...

Entomophagy has led to the recognition of insects as playing a major role in improving global environmental health, food, and nutritional security. The processing methods have shown to greatly affect its acceptance and consumption. This review selectively summarizes the current trends related to consumption of edible insects among householders, the...

Edible crickets are among the praised insects that are gaining recognition as human food and livestock feed with a potential of contributing to food security and reduction of malnutrition. Globally, the sustainable use of crickets as food or feed is undermined by lack of information on the number of the edible crickets, the country where they are c...

This manual provides a clear and elaborate guide on how to rear three species of crickets; Acheta domesticus, Gryllus bimaculatus and Scapsipedus icipe. It focuses on modern rearing or domestication of crickets particularly for food and targets trainers, field workers and farmers. Further, it attempts to upgrade and refine the knowledge of trainers...

Edible crickets are among the praised insects that are gaining recognition as human food and livestock feed with a potential of contributing to food security and reduction of malnutrition. Globally, the sustainable use of crickets as food or feed is undermined by lack of information on the number of the edible crickets, the country where they are c...

Edible crickets are among the praised insects that are gaining recognition as human food and livestock feed with a potential of contributing to food security and reduction of malnutrition. Globally, the sustainable use of crickets as food or feed is undermined by lack of information on the number of the edible crickets, the country where they are c...

Edible crickets are among the praised insects that are gaining recognition as human food and livestock feed with a potential of contributing to food security and reduction of malnutrition. Globally, the sustainable use of crickets as food or feed is undermined by lack of information on the number of the edible crickets, the country where they are c...

Edible orthopterans (grasshoppers, crickets, and locusts) are major delicacies, especially across sub-Saharan Africa. Their promotion as food ingredients is increasingly gaining momentum. This study evaluates the nutritional profiles of three widely consumed orthopterans: Gryllus bimaculatus, Locusta migratoria, and Schistocerca gregaria after blan...

Cricket farming is emerging as a new venture in Kenya poised to help alleviate protein deficiency and improve household living standards. However, competing, limited and unaffordable rearing systems constrain productivity and optimisation of this new enterprise. This study sought to evaluate the growth performance of Acheta domesticus and Gryllus b...

Farming crickets for human consumption is emerging as a promising novel and sustainable animal-source food production system. Cricket farming in Kenya first began in 2013; however, adoption rates have been slower than expected. This paper presents a pilot study of farmers’ awareness of and interest in adopting cricket farming as a new agricultural...

The use of insects as alternative protein food is gaining popularity, as insects are able to convert the ingested organic matter from plants into high-quality animal protein. There are several farming activities that have almost perfected cricket production and are produced at larger scales, others are still producing small quantities in cages, bas...

The quality of domesticated crickets depends on the choice of feed substrate that has a direct impact on the economic viability of the farming operation. This study assessed the popular local cricket feeds in the Lake Victoria region. Data were collected through individual interviews, focus group discussions, personal observations, and growth exper...

Recently, there has been multi-organization promotion of entomophagy as an environmentally friendly source of food, protein, energy and medicinal value for the ever increasing human population especially in the developing countries. However, food quality concerns must first be addressed in this context. We addressed these concerns in the present st...

Scapsipedus icipe Hugel and Tanga (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) is a newly described edible cricket species. Although, there is substantial interest in mass production of S. icipe for human food and animal feed, no information exists on the impact of temperature on their bionomics. Temperature-dependent development, survival, reproductive and life table...

The dual roles of efficient degradation and bioconversion of a wide range of organic wastes into valuable animal protein and organic fertiliser, has led to increased interest in black soldier fly (BSF) technology as a highly promising tool for sustainable waste management and alternative protein production. The current study investigated the potent...

The purpose of this study is to explore intrinsic attributes that can be used in the classification of tourism offerings for an academic understanding of their immutable natures. Mixed approach of visitor attractions classification was used as a theoretical underpinning, group discussions for data collection and content analysis for data examinatio...

A new native edible cricket species, Scapsipedus icipe Hugel and Tanga, has been described in Kenya for the first time. However, there is lack of information on suitable diets and their effects on the developmental time, survival, weight gain, body length, growth index, preoviposition, oviposition, postoviposition, fecundity, egg eclosion period, a...

Technical efficiency measures the effectiveness of an enterprise given the available resources at disposal and how well it transforms these resources to get maximum output. This study therefore investigated the technical efficiency of cricket, A. domesticus and G. bimaculatus, production at JOOUST cricket farm using parametric approach. Stochastic...

In Tanzania, edible Ruspolia differens are still harvested from the natural environments. In this perspective, little is known about the microbiological quality of wild harvested R. differens. This study was conducted to assess the microbiological quality of wild harvested R. differens and evaluate the efficacy of conventional processing methods in...

Optimization of cricket production through analysis of housing and feed effects on growth and subsequently analyzing its technical production efficiency.

A new cricket of the genus Scapsipedus is described from Kenya. The distribution, acoustic behavior, including call and courtship song, mitochondrial sequences, and data on the biology of that new species are given. This edible cricket is a very promising species for mass production for food and feed.

Technical Report #6 about the legislative environment for insects as food and feed in Kenya and East Africa as part of the GREEiNSECT project

s of the 2nd International Conference ‘Insects to Feed the World’ (IFW 2018), 15-18 May 2018, Wuhan, China P.R.

Edible insect gastronomy in Kenya

Nutritional properties of insects for food in Kenya

Insects have been part of indigenous food culture in different parts of Kenya. Newly revived interest in the utilization of insects has raised the question: how can insects be used as an ingredient in various products and gastronomy? For many, different insect species are ingredients for which their taste, aromatic, textural and visual characterist...

Insects such as the black soldier fly (BSF; Hermetia illucens) are currently being promoted as an alternative protein source for animals and organic waste management agents. To play the dual roles sustainably, there is need to reduce reliance on wild BSF and develop an appropriate farming methodology for the insect. This study aimed at improving la...

Children in Kenya are at risk of undernutrition. Milk powder is the ‘golden standard’ in products to prevent undernutrition but is expensive and cannot be produced locally. House crickets (Acheta domesticus) are rich in nutrients important for growth and development. The cricket biscuit contains protein, unsaturated fatty acids, vitamin A and B12,...

The utilisation of insect as ingredients for animal feeds has gained considerable interest recently. For example, the potential of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens; BSF) larvae as a cheap alternative protein source for animal feeds seems to show promising perspectives, especially for poultry and aquaculture feeds. In the present study, we sough...

Edible insects, particularly crickets, are becoming popular due to their nutritional value and efficiency in foodconversion. An increasing number of farmers in Kenya are seeking information on rearing crickets (Orthoptera:Gryllidae) for food and feed. The locals are gradually embracing Acheta domesticus and Gryllus bimiculatus as the species of cho...

Insects have a long history as a part the diets of several ethnic groups in Kenya. Traditionally, the consumption of insects has mainly taken place in the western provinces of the country and has included primarily grasshoppers, termites, lake flies and crickets. While these species are harvested and prepared solely for human consumption, attentio...

Insects have a long history as a part the diets of several ethnic groups in Kenya. Traditionally, the consumption of insects has mainly taken place in the western provinces of the country and has included primarily grasshoppers, termites, lake flies and crickets. While these species are harvested and prepared solely for human consumption, attentio...

Insects have a long history as a part the diets of several ethnic groups in Kenya. Traditionally, the consumption of insects has mainly taken place in the western provinces of the country and has included primarily grasshoppers, termites, lake flies and crickets. While these species are harvested and prepared solely for human consumption, attentio...

The potato sector in Kenya has been hampered by inadequate use of certified seed mainly due to inefficient delivery of quality seed in the right quantities. This study aimed at estimating the farmer demand for seed as well as analysing the structure, conduct and performance of the seed market. A total of 250 farmers and 36 fertiliser traders were i...

The edible insects of the Lake Victoria region which provided food and medicine, have suffered the effects of mismanaged environment. Our case study of Carebara vidua Smith (black ant) which is an endangered insect currently threatened with extinction due to human's activities, have provided unique source of protein and medicinal value. C. vidua is...

Due to experienced food shortages and high prices of ingredients used in livestock feed formulation especially Rastrineobla argenta, the common protein source in areas around the Lake Victoria basin; researchers thought it prudent to devise livestock diets from insects as replacement for the protein ingredients in order to sustain the growth of the...

The influence of processing methods of toasting and solar drying on the in vitro protein digestibility and vitamins content of edible winged termites, green grasshoppers, and brown grasshoppers consumed in Siaya, district of Kenya, was determined using standard methods. Analysis was done on fresh, toasted, toasted dried, and fresh dried insect samp...

This study was conducted in Kenya. Samples of children and caregivers were selected using the EPI method. Food vendors and procurement strategy, demographic and socio-economic indicators of household were analyzed. A social economic index was derived. To understand the association between D ietary D iversity Score and mean anthropometric indices, c...

Global warming is adversely affecting the earth's climate and its profound effects are virtually on all ecosystem. Every living animal will be affected in one way or another by climatic changes and insects being an integral biotic component of nearly all ecosystems are not an exemption. However, the various ways by which change will occur is yet to...

Among the factors contributing to food shortage in Africa are lack of appropriate preservation and storage facilities, tropical heat and poor road network for marketing produce. High food spoilage caused by high temperatures of the tropical areas necessitates storage for all householders. Marginal areas of Lake Victoria often suffer protein deficie...

The lack of appropriate livestock feeds at affordable prices has greatly contributed to the slow pace of development in aquaculture and agriculture particularly in Uganda and other parts of the Eastern African region. A study was carried out to determine the nutrient composition of the May flies and growth and feed conversion rates of Clarias garie...

The longhorn grasshopper (Ruspolia differens) forms a major part of the food culture of communities in the Lake Victoria Region of East Africa. The aim of this research was therefore to assess the nutritional potential of this insect to the human diet in the region in combating nutritional deficiencies that are of public health concern. The green a...

The past decade has witnessed increased scholarly interest in the effects of human resource systems on organizational performance. However, the focus has now shifted towards the nature and causes of these outcomes. Consequently, a consensus is emerging that informed understanding of the interaction between organizational strategy and human resource...

Of the edible insects, lakeflies (Chaoborus and Chironomus sp) are least documented as items of human consumption. They are eaten by the Luo communities living within the Lake Victoria basin. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the importance of lake flies as a source of food and its role in cultural practices. Edible Diptera species were ide...

The spot observation method of estimating time use is described in this article. Procedures for using this method in developing countries, where household activities are relatively easily observed, are contrasted with procedures used in countries characterized by very private living units and highly separated employment, educational, and household...

Typescript. Thesis (M.S.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1989. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 69-73).

Typescript. Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1995. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 123-129). Vita. Photocopy.