In this episode, you will hear from Cameron Richards, president of AFFIA, the Asian Food and Feed Insect Association, and senior manager at Veolia in the R&D innovations team.

We talked about the current state of insect farming in Asia, with a special focus on findings from AFFIA’s ongoing survey, which is mapping production capacities, business models, and market dynamics across the region. As he said, while companies often advertise their capacities to attract investors, the survey is shedding light on the more realistic picture of the sector.

AFFIA supports its members by facilitating networking, collaborations, and funding opportunities:

“We are building a community around insects for food and feed in Asia” Cameron said. “Supporting collaboration, and helping companies secure funding to grow sustainably.”

Cameron also discussed the potential of specialization, noting that some companies are beginning to focus on specific parts of the production chain, such as egg production or feed processing, a trend that mirrors other industries and could accelerate sector growth.

Finally, we explored the emerging topic of frass — insect residuals used as fertilizers. A growing opportunity, particularly in Asia, where local markets and agricultural demand make it easier to sell and experiment with new applications.

My name is Umberto Diecinove, I am a documentary photographer and I am currently leading a project titled I N S C T S which explores the potential role of insects in addressing environmental and social challenges. I’m doing it traveling, photographing research centres, farms, communities and companies all over the world and engaging with world experts, visionary entrepreneurs, activists and people working in the field. I do believe insects could be the next game changer.

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