It was a great experience, and I feel really lucky to have been a part of it. This post is a short overview of some of the topics I found really interesting - click here for a full book of abstracts.
At the conference, we heard about many different types of insect, from many parts of the world. As one of the keynote speakers (Komi Fiaboe, representing Segenet Kelemu, Director General of ICIPE, Kenya) put it, ‘diversity is key’. He was talking about insects in an African context, but the same sentiment applies to the world as a whole.
Using insects as food, feed and even as medicine, is not a new thing. Primates eat insects, and use them medicinally; the chickens and fish we now farm on industrial scales became the species they are now by feeding on insects. So, we can say with confidence that using insects in these ways is a key part of our evolutionary past (a topic covered in more detail here).
But what is new is how we choose to use this wealth of information and innovation.
Many thanks to everyone who was a part of this conference, and I look forward to next time…IFW2020!!