Arable farmers’ innovation decision process towards using by-products of insect production

Arable farmers are among those tasked with producing enough food to feed the growing human population and doing so within the limits (e.g. environmental-oriented policies) set by the government. This balancing act requires informed and strategic management decisions by farmers regarding their crops and soil. Thoughtful soil management determines its long-term productivity and biodiversity capacity, and thoughtful crop management is critical to combat harmful pests and diseases - the culprits responsible for the biggest crop losses. Additionally, to be able to continue farming, the farmer has to manage inputs in a way that can best secure income. Reliable and sustainable innovations in crop and soil health promotion are needed for farmers’ financial security and the long-term preservation of agricultural land. Farmers’ concurrence to use sustainable and circular inputs is crucial for the future of food production. In addition, the insect sector is growing as rearing insects gains traction as a form of mini-livestock production. Such traction is evident by European insect producers’ expectations of increasing investments from over €350 million in 2018 to over €2 billion by 2025. With more insect production occurring, more frass will be generated. Thus, finding outlets for frass is becoming urgent; identifying the most value-creating outlets would be ideal. Given the increasing restrictions faced by arable farmers, the increasing generation of by-products from insect production, and the societal and governmental push towards sustainable and circular agriculture, insect frass as a crop and soil health promoter is a relevant and timely case for research. Furthermore, very little is known from the farmers’ viewpoint regarding why they would or would not be interested in using insect frass nor is there information available regarding the valuation of insect frass to gauge if it is even economically feasible for farmers to use. By exploring farmers’ decision-making processes towards the use of frass, potential drivers and barriers of frass’ dissemination as a crop and soil health promoter on Dutch arable farms can be identified. The objective of this research was to investigate factors that influence arable farmers’ intentions to trial insect frass. Four research questions were addressed to achieve this objective. 1. What is known regarding the characteristics and application of insect frass as a crop and soil health promoter? 2. What is the expected net change in profit of using insect frass as a crop and soil health promoter on conventional and organic arable farms? 3. What is the decision-making process farmers implement regarding the selection of crop and soil health promoting products, and how does it differ between farmers who discuss their first impressions of frass with farming peers and farmers who do not? 4. What drives farmers’ intentions to trial insect frass, and how do group discussions affect the drivers of farmers’ intentions to trial insect frass?