Feeding the Future with Dr. Brian Fisher
Channel: MillValleyLibrary
Date: 07/01/2020

Journey from Mill Valley to Madagascar with Brian Fisher, PhD, an entomologist at the California Academy of Sciences. As the climate crisis unfolds and biodiversity vanishes in what is now considered the sixth mass extinction, Fisher is on the front lines tracking global change—all with the help of insects. Insects rapidly respond to changes in their environment, so by monitoring these invertebrate populations, Fisher can flag early signs of ecosystem collapse (not unlike a Dow Jones index for the environment). He’s putting this new monitoring system to the test on the island of Madagascar, a heavily populated nation off East Africa where conservation efforts are complicated by a malnutrition crisis. Across the country, tropical forests are being cleared at an unprecedented rate to make way for cropland and grazing pastures.

In 2017, Fisher and his collaborators launched Valala Farms, a Malagasy organization that farms crickets and turns them into protein-packed powder. These buggy meal supplements alleviate pressure on forest habitat—and endangered animal residents, like the lemur—by providing an alternative food source to crops and livestock. Today, Valala Farms is delivering cricket powder and replicating insect-farming methods for villages across the country. Join us for a fascinating discussion on the biodiversity crisis, the need for breakfast before conservation, and how often-forgotten insects are fueling the future—one tasty bite at a time.

This event is part of the Borrowed Time series and is presented in partnership with the California Academy of Sciences. https://borrowed-time.org