Description of When Consumption Occurs

people to eat insects. Urban dwellers, however, said they are more motivated to consume insects because of the insects’ nutritional value and medicinal properties. Greater availability of edible insects was related to greater insect consumption in both urban and rural areas.

There are no commonly shared factors determining insect consumption within Africa’s rural areas. Even rural Sub-Saharan African ethnic groups living within geographic proximity to each other exhibit different preferences for wild harvested insects and consider consuming certain species taboo (Kelemu et al. 2015). In some cases, insect consumption is partly driven by economic and dietary necessities. In Zimbabwe, for example, there is a clear pattern that when there is a lean period, or a period with low harvests and food shortages, insect availability and consumption increase (see table 4.1 for details on the insect harvest and consumption schedule).

African urban markets have nuanced demands for edible insects. In Zambia, for example, certain types of wild harvested insects—such as Coleoptera (beetle), Hemiptera (cicadas), and Hymenoptera (edible bee larvae)—are less desirable in urban markets because they are consumed by the “lower class and physical laborers” (Stull et al. 2018). By contrast, certain insects—such as Isoptera (termites, locally referred to as inswa) and Lepidoptera (caterpillars, locally referred to as vinkubala)—are considered a “delicacy” and consumed by the “upper class” and white-collar workers. As a result, these insects are in higher demand and command higher prices in urban markets (figure 4.4).

TABLE 4.1 Calendar for Crop and Wild Insect Harvesting in Zimbabwe and

Description of When Consumption Occurs

Crop

maize sorghum wheat

Insect

mopane worm Flying termites giant jewel beetle stink bug Cicada black ant

Month

J F M A M J J A S O N D

(Continued)

TABLE 4.1 Calendar for Crop and Wild Insect Harvesting in Zimbabwe and

Description of When Consumption Occurs (Continued)

Insect

Cricket grasshoppers lean period 1 lean period 2

Month J F M A M J J A S O N D

Major season Minor season

Mopane: 10 percent consumed immediately after harvest; 90 percent dried to be consumed postharvest several months later. Flying termites: 90 percent consumed within two weeks of harvesting and 10 percent within a month. Termites are fatty and easily go rancid; thus, they cannot be stored for a long time beyond two months. Zvigakata: 50 percent consumed immediately after harvest; 50 percent stored for longterm consumption, within three months of harvest. Stink bug: 90 percent consumed within the first few days of harvest; 10 percent stored and consumed within three weeks of harvest. They cannot be stored for long due to high fat content. Nyeza: Not widely consumed due to difficulty of harvest; 100 percent consumed soon after harvest; they have a short shelf life. Tsambarafuta: 80 percent consumed immediately after harvest, 20 percent within a month after harvest. It is very difficult to gather large quantities from the wild. Cricket: 60 percent consumed immediately after harvest; 40 percent dried, salted, and consumed within a month of harvest. Grasshoppers: 50 percent consumed immediately after harvest; 50 percent salted and dried and consumed within three months of harvest. Source: Original figure for this publication, using information from Robert Musandire, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Zimbabwe.

Two parallel market structures for farmed insects are likely to evolve in urban and rural areas. These structures include a traditional rural market close to the points of harvest and, as commercial insect production expands and introduces predictability in the market, an urban market with wholesaleretail supply chains catering to urban consumers. Commercial insect producers will most likely supply livestock feed and insect-based fertilizers to urban and peri-urban areas, where most large-scale, commercial agricultural producers, processors, and markets reside. However, commercial insect production in urban markets may or may not affect insect consumption habits in rural