Eating crickets for breakfast may sound unconventional, but this unlikely ingredient could potentially provide protein-rich food to the millions currently lacking it.

We’ve written before about the environmental and dietary benefits of insect protein. Now, Texas A&M AgriLife Research has been awarded a $2.2 million grant that is funding the creation of the Center for Environmental Sustainability through Insect Farming. This project is a collaborative effort between Texas A&M, Mississippi State University, Indiana University – Purdue University, Indianapolis, and 34 industrial partners.

With the UN estimating traditional agriculture will fall 40 percent short of the world’s food supply needs by 2050, insects are a sustainable and practical pathway to providing healthy food to an ever-growing population.

Jeff Tomberlin of the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M will lead the center’s efforts. He says, “Insect farming is a relatively new concept in the U.S., but the significance of its potential is widely recognized throughout the world.” Tomberlin is excited to explore a potentially revolutionary change in food production, saying “All the tenets for creating a circular economy that adds efficiency to agriculture, reduces pollution and waste, and improves producer and consumer choice are at the core of this center’s mission.”