VIENTIANE , 14 June 2010 (IRIN/KPL) After a hard day�s work, Bounpheng Wattana and his friends like nothing better with a cold beer than a mouthful of creepy-crawlies. In his opinion, insects are the ultimate organic food.
�These are local and natural foods from our country, so Lao people like this kind of food because there are no chemicals. They are natural foods,� said Bounpheng.
While tasty critters may be a popular city snack, investing in sustainable insect farming and promoting the benefits of bug-gobbling could form part of the answer to alleviating chronic malnutrition in Laos, said Vonglokham Phouvanh from the UN�s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
�Insects can provide a good source of protein, fats, carbohydrates, calcium, vitamins and other minerals � this is an essential part of human nutrition,� he said.
A 2007World Food Programme (WFP) report estimated that about 40 percent of children were malnourished or stunted, one of the worst rates in Southeast Asia, while the UN Development Programme�s (UNDP) Human Development Report 2009 indicates that 40 percent of Lao children under five are underweight.
Promoting insects could help alleviate the problem, and the potential is there � a recent FAO survey found that more than 95 percent Laotians snack on critters. There are about 1,700 edible insect species worldwide but their nutritional benefits are a relatively recent discovery. Breeding bugs To capitalize on this and ensure sustainability, FAO has a programme focused on the whole chain - from bug breeding to commercialization and consumption. Vankham Duangbutby started breeding crickets from her home in the suburbs of Vientiane five years ago and soon realized how profitable it could be. �At first I did a little farming, just tried with two cylinders of crickets. After we found it worked we continued to farm until we had 56 cylinders. When we sell, on average, we can earn one million kip [US$115] a month,� Vankham said. She now receives advice and equipment from FAO to help with her cricket farming. One of the attractions of insect farming is its simplicity, Bounthavy Sisouphanthong, vice-minister of planning and investment, told IRIN.
�You don�t need to have lots of land, you don�t need lots of equipment and you don�t need that much knowledge, and then you can make a business,� he said.
Beating poverty
Insect farming can be a lucrative venture. Neighbouring Thailand cannot satisfy its growing demand for insects and already imports from countries including Cambodia and Myanmar, FAO said.
Serge Verniau, FAO�s representative in Laos, thinks insects could play a part in tackling world poverty. �The vision of FAO is not just to reduce chronic malnutrition in Laos, which is of course the core objective, but also to feed the grand metropolises in the future, from Calcutta to Shanghai and even New York to Rome. This great food source is also environmentally friendly to produce and needs much less energy and space than conventional meats,� Verniau said.
An innovative project promoting sustainable insect farming and harvesting for better nutrition, improved food security and income generation, could provide part of the answer to Laos chronic malnutrition rates and benefit farmers across the country.
The practice of collecting and eating insects goes back thousands of years and today there are said to be around 1,700 edible species worldwide. But the real benefits of insect consumption are only just being realized.
�Insects can provide a good source of protein, fats, carbohydrates, calcium, vitamins and other minerals, this is an essential part of human nutrition,� said Dr Vonglokham Phouvanh, of the Food and Agriculture Organization.
In Laos this could have a significant impact with chronic malnutrition being a major development challenge. A 2007 World Food Programme report stated that around 40% of children are malnourished or stunted, the most severe in South-East Asia. With little progress over the past decade, a new unique approach promoting edible insects could help alleviate this problem. The potential is there, as a recent FAO survey concluded that more than 95% of the Lao population consumes insects in one form or another.
Insect Farming
To capitalize on this and to ensure sustainability, FAO�s new programme is focusing on the whole chain, from insect breeding to commercialization and consumption. From her home in the suburbs of Vientiane, Ms Vankham, is participating in the project. She started farming crickets 5-years ago and realized how viable and profitable the practice could be.
�At first I did a little farming, just tried with 2 cylinders of crickets. After we found it worked we continued to farm until we had 56 cylinders. When we sell, on average, we can earn 1 million kip (115 US dollars) a month,� said Vankham. She�s now receiving support from FAO in the form of expert advice and equipment to try and recreate that success with grasshoppers.
According to Dr Bounthavy Sisouphanthong, Vice Minister of Planning and Investment, one of the attractions of insect farming is its simplicity. �You don�t need to have lots of land, you don�t need lots of equipment and you don�t need that much knowledge, and then you can make a business.�
The future
Insect farming could become a lucrative venture. Neighboring Thailand can�t satisfy its growing demand for insects with homegrown produce and already imports from countries including Cambodia and Myanmar.
The FAO�s Representative to Laos, Serge Verniau, sees a future beyond that of local consumption, �The vision of FAO is not just to reduce chronic malnutrition in Lao PDR, which is of course the core objective, but also to feed the grand metropolises in the future from Calcutta to Shanghai and even New York to Rome.
This great food source is also environmentally friendly to produce and needs much less energy and space than conventional meats,� Verniau said.
At a busy Vientiane city bar, Mr Bounpheng, who was eating insects with his friends over a post work beer, said that the real attraction of insects was their organic nature, �These are local and natural foods from our country. So Lao people like this kind of food because there are no chemicals, they are natural foods.� His friend, Oudalone, added, �Eating insects is like eating meat, it�s tasty like meat.�
I and my Brothers used to catch them by using the mosquito net on the rice field!!! my favorite Tak ka tad is ,Tak ka dad tam khao, tak ka tad Pik dieng ( red wings), Tak ka tad Mieng Ka buang..(butterfly )..
A 2007World Food Programme (WFP) report estimated that about 40 percent of children were malnourished or stunted, one of the worst rates in Southeast Asia, while the UN Development Programme�s (UNDP) Human Development Report 2009 indicates that 40 percent of Lao children under five are underweight.
