Hey guys! For my free report, I wanted to introduce a farm that goes by with the name of “153 Farm.” A couple of weeks ago, a friend and I visited the place located in Goyang, South Korea, and you would never guess what this farm produces: edible insects! More specifically, the farm breeds and produces “twin star” crickets, which are a common type of edible insect here in South Korea. That day, we learned not only about the breeding process of these crickets but also more about the crickets themselves in general.

We first looked at the building where the crickets were being bred. I was shocked at the sight of these crickets; there were endless amounts of them, from tiny ones that had just been born to larger ones that were soon going to be exported. According to the head of the farm, there are around 500 million crickets being raised at the farm, and around 450 kg of these crickets are exported every month as both food for humans (dried) and animals (live)! However, breeding them until they are ready for export takes 45-50 days for dried exports and 25-30 days for live exports. We also learned that to provide the best living conditions for the crickets, the area had to be maintained at 29-31 degrees celsius and 60%~70% humidity. 

Next, we were also able to try tasting the crickets. Although it looked unappetizing, when I actually tried it, I realized that it did not taste how it looked like. Instead, it was just crunchy, crispy, and it felt like I was eating a cracker! We were also able to incorporate the edible crickets into several other meals such as Stir Fry and Canapes.

Finally, how does this relate to the environment? Well, edible insects such as these “twin star” crickets are crucial for the environment in the future as they are easily manufactured and provide plenty of protein and other replenishing nutrients. It is common knowledge that the production of meat (especially beef) contributes to lots of different issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, land destruction, and antibiotic overuse. However, if we are able to replace meat with edible insects, a lot of these issues could become and will become less prominent; especially in these times where climate change is a major threat, edible insects could be crucial to maintaining a functional planet. Although they may seem unappetizing, I encourage every one of you to give edible insects a shot in order to push our earth towards sustainability!