2 April 2024

11:45 – 12:30

Amphi 2

Fabienne Vozy

Fabienne Vozy: Biotechnology teacher in the Biology Department at Cégep Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu since 2008. She holds a Master’s degree in Biological Engineering, and previously worked in the academic and private research worlds, as a research officer and project manager in fields such as virology, immunology, biochemistry and molecular biology.
Anick Lepage supported a college pedagogical project that led to the creation of a miller’s tenebrion farm in 2017, a project that won the national edition of its category in the OSEntreprendre challenge in 2018. In 2019, she is “recruiting” Fabienne to collaborate on an entomoculture research project on the same insect, which will be supported by two NSERC grants.

Entomoculture at the heart of the circular economy: a solution for the future?

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the world’s population is set to rise to over 9 billion by 2050, and to over 11 billion by 2100. This overpopulation, coupled with climate change, which is making traditional crop and livestock farming more difficult, is making food supply increasingly problematic. To meet this challenge, the various production systems will have to improve their efficiency and productivity, while minimizing their environmental impact. According to the FAO, insects can contribute to food security: they are part of the solution to protein shortages, thanks to their high nutritional value, low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, low land requirements and high food conversion efficiency. Edible insect farming is also becoming increasingly popular in Western societies. Through the discovery of the three most commonly raised insects in Quebec and Canada, we will explore how entomoculture, an emerging sector, can offer local alternatives to the above-mentioned problems, particularly in terms of natural resource savings and environmental impact.