Education

Harvesting of insects in South Africa and Japan- Indigenous Knowledge in the Classroom

Rob Toms and Kenichi Nonaka

Examples of insect eating are found in many different cultures throughout the world. In South Africa insect eating is especially important in the northern provinces such as Limpopo, North-West, Mpumalanga and Gauteng. Some of the most important edible insects are mopane worms, locusts, bees, termites and edible stink-bugs. The cultural uses of these insects is different, as is the lifecycle of the insects and the requirements for sustainable harvesting. With the development of the new OBE (Outcomes Based Education) in South Africa, one of the outcomes that needs to be achieved is an understanding of IKS (Indigenous Knowledge Systems). We are exploring ways in which IKS can also be used in the teaching of other outcomes and this paper is a contribution towards this goal. For example, learners are required to learn about different cultures and value systems in life orientation. It is also necessary for them to learn about sustainable harvesting for food security and complex life cycles in natural sciences, so an interesting approach is to combine the need for conservation with studies on different cultural practises using natural science and IKS.

Locust collecting in Japan

We have both worked on insects in culture and medicine in South Africa, and recently completed a short study tour in Japan, where we collected preliminary information on the harvesting and eating of yellow-jacket wasps (Hymenoptera) and aquatic larvae of caddisflies (Trichoptera) and alderflies (Megaloptera). The cultural practises associated with the harvesting of these insects can be compared and contrasted with practises in South Africa.

Sustainable Harvesting in South Africa

In South Africa there is a great need for sustainable harvesting of the important insect crops. Sustainable harvesting should increase the harvest and make it more dependable. This would help to alleviate food shortages and provide a greater and more reliable income for the people involved in the harvest. In the case of the "mopane worm" (Lepidoptera) Imbrasia belina (Masonja in Sesotho and Tswana or Mashonzha in Vavenda), there are areas where the harvest appears to be very low and in some cases, local extinctions have occurred. One of the suspected reasons for low harvests, where suitable vegetation is apparently available, is over-harvesting. It appears that there is an excellent opportunity to teach sustainable harvesting and nature conservation using Masonja as a cultural icon in IKS. In this project we found that most of the science and biology teachers in the Limpopo province do not know the life cycle of Masonja. Not surprisingly, we also found that most of the learners do not know the life cycle. This is important because the majority of people in some harvesting areas do not appreciate that the caterpillars come from the moths, which look entirely different, and that without the moths there will be no harvest. Knowledge of the life cycle is essential for sustainable harvesting and the need for a poster on the life cycle was identified. The first production poster on the life cycle of Masonja was produced in 2003 and we are now ready to produce the second edition.

Another edible insect in the Limpopo Province of South Africa is the edible stink-bug (Heteroptera), Encosternum delegorguei (Thongolifha in Vavenda). In this case the market demand exceeds the supply and some of the harvesters now travel 200 Km to harvest the bugs. The market demand also stimulates the importation of bugs from Zimbabwe and Mocambique. As part of the project on insects in culture and medicine, research is now being done on the nutritional and medicinal properties of Thongolifha, and the results of this research could further stimulate the demand for these insects, increasing the need for sustainable harvesting. A new project on the sustainable harvesting of Thongolifha is now being initiated in partnership with the Mandela Barloworld Agricultural College at Modjadje.

Apart from these two insects, people in South Africa eat other species of Lepidoptera larvae, termites, locusts, white-grubs, jewel beetles and a few other insects. The sustainable harvesting of all these insects needs to be studied and there is potential for considerable growth in this industry, which is also of great interest to many tourists. Significantly, conservation of these resources would be of considerable value to nature conservation and tourism, because the conservation of the insect necessitates habitat conservation and the conservation of food plants. In the case of the mopane worm, for example, conservation of the mopane tree is the first step in Masonja conservation, but it is also relevant to the conservation of other animals feeding on mopane trees, such as elephants or even goats. A project on the sustainable harvesting of mopane trees and Masonja is also being set up.

Sustainable Harvesting in Japan

Yellow jacket Preparing pulling larvae and pupa out of the hive

Sustainable harvesting of insects in Japan is of great interest to African people because it is so different from Africa. Being different makes it interesting but also allows us to look for basic principles of sustainable harvesting. One of the insects we studied in Japan is the Yellow-Jacket wasp, Vespula flaviceps lewisii. This insect is a popular food insect in Central Japan. We visited Kushihara Village (now merged into Ena City) where a social group has been established for the sustainable harvesting activities as well as the promotion of wasp-eating. They collect small colonies from the wild and keep them in wooden hives near their homes. All stages of the life cycle are eaten. The greatest bottleneck in producing these wasps is that the Japanese winters are cold and most of the wasps and most of the colonies in natural circumstances die in winter. To alleviate this problem, some people care for wasp queens in winter. At the end of Autumn, when the wasps are harvested, the queens form the captive hives (which are harvested) are collected and kept in peoples houses for the winter. In a good season 6000-7000 queens may overwinter in this way. This protects them from the cold and dramatically increases their chances of survival. In the Spring, the queens are released back into nature to start new colonies. This co-existence between people and wasps provides a model to inspire other situations where edible insects need to be conserved or managed to increase the harvest.

Megaloptera larvae collected from the Tenyu River.

Another situation we studied in Japan was the harvesting of aquatic insect larvae (Table 1) in the Tenryu River at Ina. We were informed that many years ago the harvest consisted of many large Megaloptera larvae (Alderflies). Now the harvest is mainly Trichoptera larvae (caddisflies), which are collected and eaten, but they are not as large or as popular as the Megaloptera larvae (alderflies). Japan is known to be a densely populated country, and there is a great demand for food and cultural delicacies. Pressure for land has led to the canalization of rivers and an increased water flow. This has probably affected the fauna and flora of the rivers and may have led to the decline of the Megaloptera harvest, but other factors, such as overharvesting, may also have contributed. Aquatic insect larvae are not only useful as food insects, but are well known as indicators of water quality, so the edible insects may also be useful as ecological indicators in conservation aimed at protecting them. If the Megaloptera harvest is to be increased it may be necessary to slow the flow of the river but further research on this problem is needed.

Table 1. Common edible aquatic larva in Tenryu river, Ina city

Another popular delicacy is the eating of small grasshoppers. These are collected at Northeast Japan as well as Ina by advertising the need to school learners who are paid 1000 Yen (about R 60) per kilogram (people used to collect for 600 Yen per kilogram 20 years ago). The call was so successful that parents also offered to contribute. Small grasshoppers about 30mm in length are prepared with soy sauce and eaten with their legs and wings. If they are cooked at home, the spiny legs are taken away. In contrast, large locusts more than 60mm in length are favoured in South Africa and these are often eaten without their wings and spiny hind legs and are de-gutted during preparation.

In Japan and South Africa edible insects can be purchased at select markets. In both countries the price of all insects is greater than the price of chicken, pork or beef. This shows that insects are eaten for pleasure or because they are cultural delicacies and not necessarily because some of the people who eat them are poor. We believe that educating people about different cultures is an important part of building mutual respect. This is also one of the desired outcomes in life orientation in the new OBE system in South Africa.

Degradation of natural resources presents a real threat to the food security and the cultural wealth of rural people. The OBE curriculum allows scope for responding to rural issues and to take an active approach to learning. In areas where harvesting of insects is taking place there is a learning opportunity to find out, investigate and take action via projects such as improving harvests or farming of insects under controlled conditions. Such projects may also stimulate collaboration between knowledgeable people in the community and the schools. It also provides an opportunity to demonstrate the direct relevance of scientific research to the communities and provides them with the opportunity to participate in this research and get the credit and recognition they deserve.

More information:

Four Indigenous Knowledge posters on insect life cycles are available from the Transvaal Museum library: perregil@nfi.co.za 
For more information please contact: Dr Rob Toms at the Transvaal Museum, South Africa - toms@nfi.co.za 
Photos supplied by Rob Toms

Torii, R. 1957. A note on Zazamushi, a speciality in Ina Tenryu. Shin Konchu, 10-6, 1957, 26-29.

Bodenheimer, F.S. 1951 Insects as Human Food. Dr. Junk Publishers, Haugue, pp.352.

Related Articles:

The Mopane Worm - Indigenous Knowledge in the Classroom

Eat Your Bugs! (Edible Stinkbugs)

On the trail of missing Mopane Worms

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