Invention:
Killing two birds with one stone is a common way to describe one solution that takes care of two problems. This invention kills three.
- The destruction of grassland and crops via locusts and other grasshoppers;
- The ever-increasing need for protein creation and human consumption; and
- Farmer’s need to feed their livestock with protein-rich food.
This is a self-driving grasshopper collector which, especially for organic farms not using pesticides to keep grasshoppers and locust swarms at bay, helps to keep a high crop yield without using pesticides. Furthermore, the ability to collect abundant insects with a high protein yield gives farmers an alternative or supplemental way to feed their livestock.
Background:
Insects cause a large plurality of all crop destruction in the United States and certainly in the world. Some studies for crop destruction in the U.S. indicate that insects are responsible for up to 20% of the total crop destruction. Additionally, in the last few years the world is has seen some of the worst locust swarms in decades. In 2020 alone, India saw the largest locust swarm since the early 90s, and East Africa saw the destruction of over 170,000 crop acres via locust swarms. Farmers are almost completely unable to stop these swarms, much less take advantage of these insects.
In conjunction with crop destruction is a rising global population and, with that rise, an increase in the required amount of protein to sustain that population. Insects efficiently break waste down into useable compost, they require very little care to survive, they are much more efficient at turning grass and other matter into protein, and the protein they provide as a food source is low-calorie, high protein yield. Many companies are starting to bet on the future of insect farming, and even the United Nations came out with a report urging the use of insects for animal feed and human consumption. Insects may be a big part of future protein consumption. Finally, the amount of overfishing is unsustainable over long periods of time, because of this, fisheries are becoming a more viable and promising option.
Applications:
- Mitigating locust destruction
- Protein farming
- Organic farming
Advantages:
- Self-driving
- Creating new alternatives for protein
