ENTOLAB-loppuseminaari: hyönteiskasvatuksen edistäminen Etelä-Pohjanmaalla 4.12.18 Seinäjoki

1. © Natural Resources Institute Finland
Heiska, S., Varho, V., Kohl, J.
“Future is in insects”
Towards insect bioeconomy in
Finland
Biomass
Feed
FoodFertilizer
Fiber
Fuel

2. © Natural Resources Institute Finland2
Towards sustainable food systems
-Need for radical change!
Icons: Pixaby, SVGSilh, WikiCommons
co2
Climate change
• Greenhouse
gas
emissions
Natural
resources
• Scarcity
• Inefficient
production
Water pollution
• Nutrient
loading
• Pesticides
• Antibiotics
Biodiversity
• Diversity in
agriculture
• Wellbeing of
ecosystems
Health and
wellbeing
• Undernutrition
• Diseases
• Antibiotic
resistance
Animal wellfare
• Production
conditions
• Big units
Problems in our food system
Fine tuning the existing food system may not be enough
• A radical change is needed
Solutions from novel technologies
• Biotechnology, cell culture, artificial meat, 3D printing
• Organisms new to our food system, plants, algae, fungi, insects
• Small, reproduce efficiently
• Can be grown on side streams from food industry
Enable food production in the laboratories, cities, industrial areas…

3. © Natural Resources Institute Finland3
Versatile solutions from insects
-Insects can be exploited to different steps in biomass cycle
Today’s solutions
• Accepted as food and feed
• Native food for humans and animal
Future potential
• Sustainable food and feed production,
biomass processing and nutrient
recycling etc.
• New business opportunities for the
rural micro enterprise, keeping country
side viable
• An important agent in agro-industrial
symbioses
• Insects – an important driver in structural
change of rural areas and food production
systems!
Biomass
Feed
FoodFertilizer
Fiber
Fuel

4. © Natural Resources Institute Finland4
Insect industry is new, but rapid growth is projected
-Finland has taken a position as forerunner
0
200
400
600
800
201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Edibleinsectmarket,
millionUS$
Year
710millionUS$(GlobalMarket
Insight)
Current situation
• Finland accpted insects as food in
2017
• ~50 producers, mostly rural micro
enterprices
• ~10 products in the nationwide
food market
• Markets are taking shape
What is needed for the projected growth:
• Rapid development of technology
• Expanding to feed business
• Considerable upscaling
• Radical reduction of production costs
• New solutions to biomass conversion to added value
bio products using insects
• Changes in national and international regulation, food
policies, taxes, subsidies
• Sustainable markets consumer acceptance
Map: yourfreetemplate.com

5. © Natural Resources Institute Finland5
High competition and rapid changes are expected
-How to maintain the forerunner position?
For competitiveness it’s important to be able to
• Anticipate the future
• Adapt to the rapid changes in the industry
Changes can be caused by
• New players in the industry, new technology, new products
• New innovations in related industries
unpredictability in supply chains, customer segments, markets…
How insect economy effects on the existing food system?
• What’s the role of countryside, when food production moves to the cities ?
• What happens to the infrastructure?
– Buildings, fields, machinary
• What’s the future of people living in the country?

6. © Natural Resources Institute Finland6
Big picture and common understanding is needed
• Complex and multi-faceted dimentions of the future visions are not
widely understood
• The big picture and common understanding of the desired future,
and target state of insect economy, are missing
• Common understanding is important for balanced growth on
insect economy
• Big picture shows the drivers and obstacles in the way and helps
to achive the sustainable food system sooner

7. © Natural Resources Institute Finland
We have planned an iterative, participatory and transparent foresight process,
• Involves multi-organisational interest
groups with interdciplinary expertise
• It will take to account regional views,
business structure and knowhow
• Serves as anticipating tool for
• Business
• Research and education
• Regulation and administration
• RDI funding and resource
allocation
7
Our solution:
- Road map to future of insect economy 2030
Current situation,
interest groups and
networks
Regional visions,
drivers and obstacles
Big picture,
on national level
Anticipating the
desired future of
insect economy,
suggesting steps
Cascading the road
map into the regions
Common
understanding

8. © Natural Resources Institute Finland8
Do you want to contribute
-Let’s make a controlled change towards insect economy!
• Currently, we are applying for funding for the road map work
• We are interested in widening our scope internationally
• Looking for partnes
• Please contact us, if interested in collaboration
DSc, docent (futures research)
Special competence: futures
research, interdisciplinary
environmental research, policy
research
PhD (biosciences, agronomy)
Special competence: innovation
ecosystems, insect economy,
production systems, technology
transfer
DSc, docent (environmental
social sciences)
Special competence: managing
research groups in futures
research, leading national and
international road mapping and
strategy work

9. © Natural Resources Institute Finland9
Luke’s research on insect economy:
- Multi-organisational RDI projects with active networks
Regional developing
companies
Counseling, lobbying
Universities
Education
Business
Public funding
And many others …

10. Thank you!