Small scale farming at the Madagascar Biodiversity Center скачать в хорошем качестве

Small scale farming at the Madagascar Biodiversity Center

The rising demand for food threatens Madagascar's remarkable biodiversity. Traditional farming practices and lemur (bushmeat) hunting cannot sustain a population that will double in 25 years. You can't put more cattle on already degraded grasslands, and you can't keep cutting down forests for long when only 10% remain. If current trends continue, the island's unique wildlife will vanish alongside remaining natural habitats. Conservation efforts can do little to halt the continued destruction of this living resource when locals are hungry and malnourished. In Madagascar, more than 90 percent of the population lives below the international poverty line. Almost half of all children under five are malnourished —Madagascar experiences the world's fourth-highest rate of chronic malnutrition. To reverse this spiral of increasing malnutrition, climate-driven food insecurity, and forest loss, we offer a solution that builds on the strong tradition of edible insects. If we develop a sustainable, scalable, and locally produced insect protein solution, we can address malnutrition and offer food security for Madagascar's hungry and growing population while reducing pressure on the remaining natural landscapes. And by using the insect fertilizer from our farms, we can also restore and regenerate landscapes.​ In Madagascar, insects are an indispensable part of seasonal diets for many ethnic groups. Insects offer many advantages over traditional protein sources; they are farmed with less water, less feed, and less environmental impact. Insects provide a far greater range of nutrients than commonly consumed meats yet require a much smaller footprint to produce. With insect protein, we can feed all of Madagascar's children and reduce pressure on the remaining forests.