Knowledge and acceptance of insects as feed source for poultry production in conflict affected regions of Cameroon

Abstract

Abstract Globally, insects are increasingly being considered as sustainable and complementary feeds for poultry production. However, there is a lack of information on the perception of people in vulnerable and conflict-affected communities in Cameroon. This paper presents a survey on awareness and willingness to integrate insect meals in poultry feeds in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon. During this survey, purposive and snowball sampling procedures were used to collect data from 253 households. Among those interviewed, 32% were internally displaced people and 68% residents. In general, 97% of the respondents were aware that insects are a natural food source for chicken. About 94% of the respondents showed their willingness to accept and buy (WTB) insect-based feeds (IBF). Education level was significantly associated with the acceptance and WTB insect-based feeds, particularly among people with university (higher education) (51.7%) and high school education (25.2%). Although 76% of the people were aware that insects could be mass produced, only 3% practiced small-scale farming of black soldier fly and house fly larvae. At least 35% of the people reported that they have seasonally harvested insects from the wild and provided to their chickens as feed. Of the respondents 84% were willing to commercially produce insects as animal feeds if adequately trained. These findings suggest that the introduction of insect farming innovations in areas affected by conflict could enhance local food production, generate income, and support livelihood restoration among internally displaced people.