What if insects won’t only have a nutritional value, but would become a labor force, a commodity? What if there would be a coexistence of humans and insects that work and live together?
Nowadays, meat is overconsumed in many Western societies. A prolonged pattern of overconsumption led to environmental degradation and the use of many fundamental resources. Farming insects instead of cattle could lead to a deceleration of these processes, considering smaller areas of land degradation, a lower amount of water and grain consumption, and a reduced amount of greenhouse gas emissions.
In most Western countries, people view entomophagy (insects consumption) with disgust and associate eating insects with primitive behavior. Actually, certain insects have been eaten by humans from prehistoric times to the present day, in fact, human insect-eating is common to cultures in most parts of the world, including Central, and South America, Africa, and Asia. In 2013, even the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) suggested that entomophagy should be considered as a solution to environmental pollution.
For the physical realization of the insect’s farms, instead of creating new structures in the already overbuild cities, already existing but temporarily inactive buildings will be adjusted and re-used for a new function, becoming insects’ habitats. In Rotterdam, the amount of Kebab Shops spread all over the city is impressive. But what if there won’t be any Doner Kebab anymore? These structures could be completely reviewed in a different way. The Kebab Shops will become glasshouses where the living inside insects will have all that they need for their lifecycles: food, light, and plants.
Depending on diverse protein concentrations, habits, or diets, different insects have been chosen to play different roles, becoming part of humans’ diet, or providing work or waste disposal. Three Kebab Shop structures with a glasshouse roof will represent three functions: an Insects’ Gourmet Cafe, an Insects’ Beauty Center, and an Insects’ Plastic Recycling spot.
