The main effect of the project will be the implementation of new technologies of container-based insect production and the resulting products, i.e. insects which are suitable for feed purposes, in agricultural holdings. The implementation will consist in the delivery of automated mobile containers designed for the production of insects supplied by HiProMine to selected agricultural holdings. As a result, farmers will obtain a valuable feed material and an organic fertiliser as an added benefit. Larvae will be suitable for feeding to poultry and, in the future, also other types of livestock. Furthermore, farmers will have an opportunity to reduce the cost of insect production by using their own plant waste as feed – or even by collecting or buying plant waste from other farmers, processors, traders or households. Owing to the utilisation of plant waste for insect feeding, and the subsequent use of insects produced with energy generated from the energy sources introduced on the farm, the farmers will be able to shift towards the production of organic food. Consequently, the project will contribute to changing the mentality of farmers who will be able to see first-hand the economic and non-material benefits of using low-emission technologies and organic animal husbandry.
The project will also bring benefits in the cognitive domain. The study findings will be published in scientific journals in fields including animal husbandry and agronomy. In addition, the project will raise the awareness of other farmers and the general public of the problem of global protein shortage and possible remedial actions, including insect breeding. The effects will be achieved through cooperation with the Agricultural Advisory Centre in Poznań which will conduct a series of meetings and trainings, and publish texts describing the project in popular science press. Throughout the duration of the project and after its completion, a dedicated website will be available for posting information about the effects of the project and cooperation possibilities for farmers who are interested in participating.
Another important effect of the project will be the development of methodology and standards regulating insect production in agricultural holdings and utilisation of products for the farm's purposes. This aspect carries great significance from the viewpoint of the future mass-scale insect breeding in Poland, the importance of which has been highlighted by the Polish Ministry of Agriculture in the latest draft of the amendment to the Feed Act.
