Edible Insects Samuel LÉVY

Assignment 7:
What determines whether an animal can be farmed for human consumption?

The consequences of animal farming on early human societies.

The emergence of breeding was a revolution in the history of mankind. By seeking food,
the prehistoric man had gradually discovered the process of cereals germination. He started to
protect the plants, and then intentionally sowing the seeds he selected as the more resistant: the
early days of “voluntary farming” are estimated at 10 500 years BC.
Breeding allows man to finally settle somewhere, not relying on hunt anymore, thus not
having to follow the animal’s yearly migrations. Man’s residence becomes patrilocal, he starts
living next to herds inherited from his father. Farming also redesigns the social interactions
between humans. While a survival system based on hunting required humans to partner up in
clans – in order to collect food more effectively-, breeding makes alliance less important than
the system of descent. Breeding redefines paternity: genealogies appear, becoming longer and
longer. As filiation turns patrilineal, links to ancestors are drawn, sending back to the dawn of
time. These newly acquired filiation links replace the previous animist beliefs worshipping
animals and spirits of the forest… which enables humans to start considering animals as
livestock, further developing the recent farming practices.
As social links between men are reorganized, so is the relationship between man and
animal. The now domesticated “beast” is no longer a threat or, as in hunting, an equal of man:
from a god-like entity, it has been submitted to the rank of “food”. Furthermore, this
subordination of the animal to man is accompanied by that of the man to the gods… to which
man is now ready to sacrifice animals.

***

After this brief introduction on the social consequences of the shift to farming, we will
elaborate on the reasons behind animal breeding. During the Neolithic era (10,000-4,500 BC),
man started domesticating animals for their meat, but also for their “indirect”, complementary
productions such as milk, wool or leather. Animal husbandry has been a practice of man since
time immemorial. “Farm animals” are used used mainly to help man by feeding him or helping
him doing so in various ways. They are thus classified in five categories: meat-producing
animals, dairy animals, poultry, animals used for transport and work, and animals used for
textiles.
First of all, the primary purpose of farming has always been for man to be provided with
edible products, such as, meat, milk, eggs. Cows embody this primary focus: they are mainly
farmed for their milk, which is the basis of all dairy products (cheese, cream or butter) as well
as for their meat. Turkeys are omnivorous and galliform terrestrial birds, as are hens and
roosters, the difference being that they are larger. Turkey is mainly farmed for its meat,
considering that its egg-laying pace is less regularly than chickens. Being omnivorous, they are
very convenient to farm, not requiring a specific alimentation. Omnivorous as well, the pig and
the sow are a subspecies of wild boar. Although banned in some countries, pigs are raised for
their meat. They are known as a very intelligent animal, surprisingly close to man, to which
they are very similar (especially the skin and their social behavior).
The second reason behind animal farming is the production of secondary products, such
as wool and horsehair (for clothing, ropes and tents), skins (for leather), as well as bones, hooves
and horns which serve various purposes.
 On top of this, man has often chosen to farm specific animals because of the labor force
they represent. Indeed, a few species were chosen for their outstanding combination of strength
and docility. That is the case of the bull or ox (castrated bull). These animals live on average
for twenty years and weigh from 500 to 900 kilos for cows and between 900 and 1200 kilos for
bulls. The largest male specimens can even reach a weight of 1600 kilos. Their feeding on a
farm mainly consists of grass and hay, although more and more farmers tend to feed them with
silage and industrial flours which seem to have no place in their natural diet. Cousins of the
horse and the mare, the donkey is a herbivorous mammals of the equidae family. Historically,
donkeys have mostly been used to carry heavy loads, but also to help with agricultural work,
such as plowing. Donkey milk is also appreciated, especially for making soap, even though its
meat is rarely consumed. Bull and donkey embody farming, even though their meat is not to be
consumed. They exemplify the diversity of reasons behind farming.
The horse and the mare are herbivorous mammals of the equidae family. Their diet on
farms is mainly grass and hay. For horses too, a wide variety of species roam the globe, whether
in captivity or in the wild. Their main sought-after function is also secondary: transportation,
plowing and various other tasks. Man has been breeding horses for over four thousand years.
The Mongol tribes would have been the first people to have managed to domesticate it. Horses
have played a significant role all along history and all over the globe, whether for war,
agricultural work -especially plowing - for transport, or for carrying heavy loads. In farms, draft
horses are mainly bred for agriculture, seldom for meat. Nowadays, in Western societies, they
are most likely to be found in equestrian centers for riding.

Other factors are likely to influence the choice of animal to be farmed. On top of the
amount of food -direct or indirect- they can produce or their physical capabilities, one also has
to look at their climate requirements. Climatic shifts during the successive seasons lead to
changes in the occupation of the environment and the animal’s behavior. In summer, animals
show their presence (birds singing, cry of marmots), they leave traces of their activity (leftover
meals, excrement). On the other hand, in winter, few animals remain active. Farmers thus need
to choose animals which are able to prove themselves useful -or at least survive- over long
periods of time. They also have to animals which do not migrate, so that they are available for
consumption all-year-round and provide a more stable production rate.

***

Breeding has shifted human history. Not only did it bring humans a more nutritious
alimentation allowing humanity to expand, it has also been the main reason behind settlements
and the creation of what we know today as societies. Animals bound to be farmed have been
designated as so because they were fulfilling several criteria appealing to man: being easy to
tame and relatively resistant to climate changes, but also being able to provide with as many
consumable resources as possible (meat, eggs, milk, skin). Still today, new benefits of farmed
animals are discovered: for instance, the chicken and pigs ability to recycle all organic waste
used to be largely overlooked and is now taken into consideration. Those characteristics are
precisely what limit insect farming. Despite their great nutritional and environmental benefits,
their small size is a double-edged sword. It is what make them easy to catch in bulk, but also
make them fragile and difficult to manage.
References

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L., R. (1905). Chasse, Élevage et Piégeage. Nature, 73(1880), pp.26-27.
Lapierre, O. (2004). Culture et élevage : quelles relations, quelles
synergies ?. Oléagineux, Corps gras, Lipides, 11(4-5), pp.261-267.
Lhoste, P. (2004). Les relations agriculture-élevage. Oléagineux, Corps gras,
Lipides, 11(4-5), pp.253-255.
Porcher, J. (2016). Demain, une agriculture sans élevage ?. Pour, 231(3), p.255.