Pictures of the Year International

The Goal of the United Nations (The Sustainable Development Goal) is about creating a world free of hunger by 2030 and focuses on finding sustainable solutions to stop world hunger, but severe weather conditions, like droughts and floods, caused by climate change instead lead to less food for human consumption, taking us further from this goal. Under this situation, often insects are called into question, amidst both skepticism and curiosity, as a potential solution and "food for the future." Insects are rich in high-quality proteins and highly sustainable due to their minimal environmental impact, both in terms of greenhouse gases emissions and water & soil consumption. As a result, researchers are studying the most sustainable and cost-effective ways of promoting the use of these insects as human food or as feed for fish, poultry, and pigs (monogastric animals). Professor Laura Gasco of the Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (DISAFA) at the University of Turin (Italy) breeds Hermetia illucens (Black Soldier Fly). Many projects are run with Hermetia illucens at the DISAFA facility with the aim of evaluating the effects of insect meals in the diet of poultry and trouts. Prof. Gasco is removing the “eggie” to perform eggs hatching in another controlled environment. The “eggie” is the little box in the center of the net, is the media to collect eggs indeed, it provides sheltered cavities where females deposit eggs.