Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This study presents a multidimensional framework to evaluate the socioecological roles (SER) of insects in agrifood systems. Insects contribute to all four categories of ecosystem services: provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural, while also posing context-specific challenges. Using a transdisciplinary approach, we assessed 120 insect species across four dimensions: Productive Potential, Ecosystem Potential, Use, and Challenges. Unsupervised machine learning identified species clusters that provide useful insights for context-specific management strategies, including conservation, pest/vector control, wild gathering, and farming. While some species consistently perform well across dimensions, others require more localised or tailored approaches. Rather than offering definitive answers, this framework provides a starting point to support more adaptive and inclusive decision-making for sustainable insect use. It contributes to balancing productivity, biodiversity, and cultural relevance, while guiding future research and policy efforts aligned with agri-food system transformation and biodiversity goals.
Source: HAL
Author: Karol B. Barragán-Fonseca
Institutions: Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Le Studium
Language: English
Subfield: Insect Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDGs: Zero hunger, Life on land
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4416832017