Fighting rural poverty in Colombia: circular agriculture by using insects as feed in aquaculture

Samenvatting

The circular economy (CE) has become relevant in various countries where governments and organizations have declared the intention to replace the traditional linear economy with policies addressed to develop circular models of economy; however, CE has traditionally already been practiced by some peasants and farmers in the world. This report presents the results of a research project to identify concrete conditions for the production of insects by small- and medium-scale farmers, enabling peasant communities to reuse organic residual streams to feed insects, and then, use these insects as feed in peasant-run aquaculture. We compare and conceptualize the synergies between the CE and agroecological approaches, proposing a theoretical model: Agroecological Insect- Fish Farming model (AIFF), as a new opportunity to develop a circular economy by implementing practices such as the use of insects, especially the Black Soldier Fly (BSF), producing high-value proteins for fish feed and consequently food for human consumption and a more sustainable planet.