The Future of Fertilizer: How Insects Are Revolutionizing Soil Health
CEIF Member, Chapul Farms, and CEIF Researcher, Dr. Shankar Ganapathi Shanmugam, spoke with Miranda Lipton of BBC.com recently about the benefits of Black Soldier Fly frass (article).
Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) offer a sustainable solution to organic waste and soil degradation. These insects consume large amounts of organic waste, transforming it into frass, a nutrient-rich biofertilizer. BSFL farming is also faster than traditional composting and can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Frass improves soil health by boosting biodiversity, enhancing water retention, and reducing the need for chemical fertilizers. This natural fertilizer can build biodiversity and resilience with a cumulative effect, potentially requiring less fertilizer over time.
Black Soldier Fly: Shutterstock
While the insect protein market is booming, the potential of frass as fertilizer has yet to be realized despite its higher projected growth. Companies like Chapul Farms are working to promote frass use, collaborating with local farms and researchers. Although regulatory hurdles exist, the USDA is supporting projects exploring BSFL's capabilities, recognizing its potential for domestic fertilizer production and improved food security.
"Anecdotally, what I can tell you is that in the trials that I've done both with grapevines and in my vegetable farm, the produce itself comes up faster, it has better cellular structure," says Mimi Casteel. "So if you actually cut the leaf and put it under the microscope, the cells grow more densely and they have figure lipid membranes. And what that means is that the plant from day one has more structural integrity."
"Finding a use for this is important, but if you're going to market frass as a fertilizer, you need to regulate it, which takes time," says Shankar Shanmugam. "And to make these regulations, you need research."
Early results from farmers using frass are promising, showing plant growth and resilience improvements.
"Ultimately, at its core, we cannot survive without insects," says Pat Crowley, CEO of Chapul Farms. "Natural ecosystems cannot flourish... without the insects as a part of them. And that's one of our biggest premises. It's not as simple as: insects will solve the biggest trends in global agricultural health. And at the same time, I think it's one of the biggest levers that we have in making agriculture a more resilient, ecosystem-based model."
The Center for Environmental Sustainability through Insect Farming (CEIF) is an NSF Industry-University Cooperative Research Center. CEIF bridges Academia and Industry with foundational, pre-competitive research to drive growth of the Insect Agriculture space.