In Southeast Asia, calls for cost-effective agricultural technology responses are being developed.
In a report published through PwC, Rabobank and Temasek, he said the agricultural industry could possibly not keep up with Asia’s immediate urbanization.
At the same time, warming and a pandemic have greater food insecurity.
Singapore, a country that imports more than 90% of its supply, faces abundant risks.
Protenga, a Singapore-based agricultural company, is expanding to meet demand. The startup aims to act as a sustainable and inexpensive food production system for the world.
It builds insect farms, which produce insect proteins that are used as food or fertilizer for agriculture.
“It’s like any other agriculture you can, but with insects like cattle,” explained Leo Wein, CEO and founder of Protenga.
“Like everyone else, we want to think about the food that eats our food,” he added in an interview with Vulcan Post.
The start-up was presented in Germany as a summer pilot assignment in a friend’s garage.
Leo had never planned to run a new insect-based agri-food company. The wine, he says, of his co-founder, who is a biologist in formation.
Leo, who was working in Singapore at the time as a knowledge specialist, imported the concept into Southeast Asia. The shift from virtual insect hunting to real-life insects has been a big step forward.
At this point, Leo led product progression and software engineering for Singapore-based Array. This includes execution as Hatch and The Engage.
The farming company grows black welded flies, the ideal insect protein, says Leo.
“Their life cycle is short, they grow well intensively and they don’t want much food or water. They do not transmit any known diseases and are not crop pests.”
Flies can also be bred from food waste, which is sustainable and cost-effective.
“Food waste is regularly sold cost-effectively or worthless,” says Leo. “Insects capture nutrients in a different way that is lost in insect biomass as food and fertilizer.”
Unlike crops used in feed, such as maize or soybeans, Protenga insects require significant investment in land, food or water.
Insect proteins also overfish. Fish eat other fish, Leo explains, and insects are a much more sustainable option than seafood.
Where other insect corporations build and expand an exclusive mega-installation, Protenga follows a chain style adapted to insect production.
The agritech deploys smart insect farms, built in a modular and decentralized formula near biomass waste sources. A smart insect farm is designed for 20 to 60 tons of raw fabrics a day.
Fully automated, mechanized farms are being developed, backed by software, variety and processing services.
Sustainable and successful insect farms have made their way.
Protenga’s first advertising agricultural site opened in 2019 and the start-up closed its first start-up financing in July 2020.
$1.6 million (S$2.2 million) raised from a British agricultural technology company, Roslin Technologies and Seeds Capital of Enterprise Singapore.
Roslin Technologies is affiliated with the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh for creating Dolly The Sheep, the world’s first cloned mammal.
The agreement will involve the structure of a bespoke genetic centre built near its headquarters in Edinburgh. The lab will apply breeding generation to expand advanced insect breeds.
Protenga also collaborates with NUS experts in their studies on insect biology. The start-up is setting up a study and progression farm in the vicinity of the city of Johor to expand its clientele, generation and prototypes.
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Protenga appreciates that governments identify and support insect cultivation, Says Leo.
“We can take care of more food waste, have a direct effect on the environment, and create a more scalable and sustainable agricultural technique for Southeast Asia.”
Agritech startup is in a position to take on Southeast Asia and Smart Insect Farms will be rolled out throughout the region in 2021.
Although Singapore’s agricultural industry is small, Protenga’s products still meet Singapore’s industry and sustainable progression goals, Says Leo.
“Responsibility for sustainability includes eating the food we eat and the amount of food we eat.”
“Food is a significant global opportunity and challenge. Insects are offering a desirable and largely untapped opportunity … We are extremely happy and proud to be at the forefront of this movement.
The agricultural industry has been looking for opportunities for unsustainable agricultural practices for decades.
The use of insect proteins as sustainable foods would be a smart choice as it is cost-effective and sustainable. Flies can be raised through food waste and require superior investment in land or water.
Featured Symbol Credit: Sustainability Times