Mission to Improve Global Health Through Insects won Climate Quest, a UW-Madison sustainability competition, Thursday for efforts to implement mealworms to improve malnutrition and climate in Zambia, according to a university release.
UW-Madison graduate students Rachel Bergmans and Valerie Stull make up the MIGHTi team, which will be given financial support to research and test mealworm microlivestock farming.
Stull and Bergmans are creating samples of kits they plan to present this fall to communities in Zambia, where insects are already part of community diets. The mealworm is easy to sustain, ideally using local materials and resources found in the Zambia area, Stull said in the release.
The mealworm insect is inexpensive and a good source of protein, according to the release. Compared to other livestock protein sources, the mealworm is 100 percent edible and leaves no waste.
Stull and Bergmans have created recipes such as smoothies and cookies that include mealworms to help promote the consumption of insects. Presently, Stull has been farming and using mealworms in her home.
Stull and Bergmans hope to conduct taste tests to settle lingering questions of the mealworm’s health benefits. One possible tasting event may take place on the UW-Madison campus to educate community members and fundraise for scholarships in the Department of Entomology.
