Another one bites the dust

The challenge

Without any doubt, we face an increase of both, world population and meat consumption. The world population will increase to 9 billion in 2050 and, even with dietary and behavioral changes, meat consumption is expected to increase with 30% in 2030. To produce 1kg of meat protein, up to 5-6 kg of protein intake is needed. Radical improvements in efficiency are needed to cope with the problem.

The solution

We want to produce proteins for animal feed from animal waste by earthworms. Using insects as an alternative to the conventional animal feed has been researched for quite some time now. Earthworms can be bred as an alternative feed source, and their waste can be used as a rich fertilizer. We want to utilize the properties of earthworms, an animal feed alternative mainly for fish, poultry and pigs. Earthworms eat a range of matter. Most earthworm ecotypes can be described as detritivores, which means they eat decaying plant and animal matter. In addition, the conversion of animal wastes into earthworm tissue is very efficient, they are the secret to recycling waste. Thus, worms are a valuable potential source of animal feed if they can be produced economically.