What is insect farming?
Applications of insect farming
insect farming, also known as entomoculture, involves raisinglarge numbers of insectsin a controlled environment to produce various products. The most commonly farmed insects are crickets, mealworms, and black soldier flies. Insect farming serves a variety of purposes:
Production of insect proteins for animal feed or human consumption
Scientific research
Production of byproducts such as silk or honey
These sectors vary in size. At ONEI, we focus on insect farming as a source of protein for human and animal consumption. Within this sector,the largest market is dog and cat food production, which accounts for more than half of the industry. The production of feed for farmed animals, primarily for aquaculture, ranks second. Sectors such as the production of feed for exotic animals or human food are comparatively smaller.
Human consumption
Although this field may seem recent, the history of human consumption of insects, or entomophagy, dates back several millennia. Archaeological evidence suggests that humans have been consuming insects for over 30,000 years. In many cultures, particularly in Africa, Asia, and America, the consumption of insect protein is part of the regular diet. However, in Western countries, this practice remains marginal due to its low social acceptability.
A new sector
Global market
The global insect farming market has experienced strong growth since the release of a 2013report by theUN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This report helped shape the image of insects as the food of the future, particularly by presenting them as an alternative to meat, highlighting that they can feed on waste, and emphasizing the potential to use them as a replacement for traditional animal feed, such as soy. These benefits would, however, be contested later on. While global revenue is difficult to estimate due to a lack of reliable data, by 2023, the sector is estimated to have already received approximately $2 billion in investment.
Market in France
With several of the industry’s best-funded companies, including Ynsect, Innovafeed, and Agronutris, France is the global leader in the insect farming market
For example, Ÿnsect’s flagship production facility near Amiens was touted as the world’s largest vertical insect farm before the company went into receivership in December 2025.
French companies have receivedboth private and public funding. Ynsect has received a total of more than 600 million euros in funding, notably from the Public Investment Bank. Innovafeed, for its part, has secured approximately 450 million euros. These companies also receive direct support from public research organizations such as INRAE.
Some examples of major players
InnovaFeed (France)
Protix (Netherlands)
Agronutris (France)
Tebrio (Spain)
Entobel (Vietnam)
Sustainability issues
A major driver of the sector's growth is the perception of insects as a sustainable alternative to traditional livestock. However, recent studies question the environmental and economic promises of this sector.