NSF funds farmed insect genetics, welfare, health, and contributions to sustainable agriculture
Black soldier fly adult
The National Science Foundation awarded a $2 million dollar grant to lead PI Dr. Christine Picard at Indiana University Indianapolis to study farmed insects and sustainable agriculture. Dr. Picard is joined by Co-PIs, Dr. Gabriel Fillippelli (IUI), Dr. Heather Jordan (Mississippi State University) and Dr. Jeffery Tomberlin (Texas A & M); Drs. Meghan Barrett, Jason Kelly, and Jerome Dumortier are also senior personnel funded by the grant.
“For the Barrett lab, NSF funded research into the development of operational welfare indicators for use with insects on farms. A quick search of NSF awards suggests this may be the first project with a farmed insect welfare component to ever be funded by NSF.”
The three-year long grant is part of NSF’s Global Research Centers (GRC) program and aims to develop sustainable, scalable solutions that will shift traditional agricultural systems towards a more circular, bio-based model using insects. Researchers across the grant specialize in insect biology, genetics, microbiology, welfare, sustainability, social science, and the arts and humanities, bringing together a diverse team to answer a range of questions on insect agriculture. For the Barrett lab, NSF funded research into the development of operational welfare indicators for insects on farms. A quick search of NSF awards suggests this may be the first project with any farmed insect welfare component to ever be funded by NSF.
Behavior and physiology are at the core of the Barrett lab’s research into insect welfare and are also foundational to understanding how insects can contribute to ethical and sustainable agricultural systems. Other researcher leaders on the project will investigate insect bioconversion abilities on an array of diverse organic substrates, their effectiveness at reducing the environmental impact of food waste, and their utilization as bio-remediators; learn about this, and more, in the press release linked below.
Congratulations are in order to Dr. Picard, the Co-PIs, and the other senior personnel that contributed to the proposal - more great work on insect welfare and sustainable insect agriculture coming soon, thanks to the NSF!
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