In one of the most dangerous and deprived neighborhoods in the Brazilian city, residents are now finding hope and employment by growing fruit and vegetables.
Gardens provide an oasis in an area struggling with poverty, drugs and violence Image: Bianca Kopsch
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Gardening for a better life
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In the place where just a few years ago waste piled up high, fruit and vegetables are now thriving. In the heart of Manguinhos, a favela in Rio de Janeiro, residents have cultivated the largest community vegetable garden in Latin America. On an area roughly the size of three football fields, they produce around two tons of food per month without the use of artificial fertilizers.
This is providing a new lease of life for the community. Manguinhos is one of the most deprived and dangerous favelas in the city, where violence and fatal shootings are commonplace.
Unlike most farming in Brazil, the community gardens don't use artificial fertilizers Image: Bianca Kopsch
Many here see little hope for the future. In daily life, there is a lack of basic necessities: regulated sewage disposal, garbage collection, healthy food and professional opportunities.
The Manguinhos vegetable garden is part of an initiative by the city government that now encompasses around 50 community gardens. The gardens offer employment and affordable food to a variety of deprived neighborhoods.
A film by Bianca Kopsch
Insects on the menu
The global food industry puts a major strain on the environment for many reasons and as the world population grows, the need for sustainable solutions in the area grows with it. Edible insects may have a role to play.
Image: Getty Images/S. Gallup
Locust lunch
With the global population increasing and the supply of agricultural land under threat — around a third of the world's arable land has been lost in the last 40 years — pressure is being put on the world's food supply. Then there is the strain meat production places on the environment. Many believe insects — such as the locust eaten here with an egg by a man in Tokyo — are a credible alternative.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/T. Yamanaka
Caterpillars in the Congo
Entomophagy is the name for the human use of insects as food. Humans have been eating insects since prehistoric times and today, most of the world's culinary cultures encorporate the eating of insects in some way. In the restaurant pictured here in the city of Kinshasa, DR Congo, a person is eating grilled caterpillars with olive oil. The food is cheap but provides a rich source of protein.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J.D. Kannah
Making a meal of it
Despite its global ubiquity, there are many places, particularly in Europe and North America, where insect-eating is rare and treated with a certain reserve. However, there are signs that, prompted by the increasing promotion by environmentalists of insects as a sustainable food source, it is growing in popularity. In this image, Sydney chef Nowshad Alam Rasel displays a signature cricket dish.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/S. Khan
Crawlies creeping on to menus
But what's so sustainable about farming bugs? Compared with livestock farming, insect farming requires much less land and water and its greenhouse gas emissions are much lower. Insects need very little feed, and can themselves be used as sustainable feed for animals and fish. Increasingly, they are being used in high-end cuisine — in this Bangkok restaurant, winged ants are eaten with fish.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/L. Suwanrumpha
An alternative to palm oil?
Biteback, an Indonesian start-up, has been promoting insects as a nutrient-rich, sustainable alternative to palm oil, the cultivation of which is criticized for its environmental impacts, particularly in Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries. The founders, pictured here making insect ramen, emphasize that insects are nutritious and have high fatty acids, protein and mineral content.
Image: Founders Valley/Biteback Indonesia
Worm lollipop
Global demand for meat is expected to increase by more than 75 percent by 2050. The amount of agricultural land and animal feed required for such production means the need for credible protein alternatives will intensify in the years ahead. Entomophagy enthusiasts point to insects' culinary flexibility — exemplifed in products such as the worm and cricket lollipops pictured here.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/K. Bleier
To eat bee, or not to eat bee
While insect-eating may well be a big part of the future of food, much development is needed in the sector. In trying to tantalize palates, unusual meals — such as this cake of roasted bees being eaten at a Berlin environmental fair — are being tried out. But given the pressure bee populations themselves are under worldwide, more practical insect-based meals may need to be dreamed up.
