Topic Editors

College of Plant Protection, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
College of Food Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China

Sustainable Utilization of Insect Biodiversity in Agriculture Forestry and Food Systems Resource Utilization, Food Security and Policy Integration

Abstract submission deadline
31 January 2026
Manuscript submission deadline
31 March 2026
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1117

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

More than three-quarters of the world's species are insects, representing one of the most potentially sustainable protein sources able to meet protein needs while minimizing environmental impact and addressing the global problem of animal feed production. Most insects are rich in nutrients and are a natural food source for many animals. With strong encouragement from the FAO, the nutritional value of insect resources has been extensively researched in recent years. The consumption of insects from agroforestry ecosystems or insect farms not only contributes protein and other valuable nutrients to the human diet but may also provide health benefits through various insect-derived peptides and bioactive compounds. Currently known functions of highly nutritious and mass-producible insects include, but are not limited to, antioxidant effects, blood lipid-lowering effects, anti-fatigue effects, anti-aging effects, anti-mutagenic effects, immunomodulatory effects, hypoglycemic effects, anti-tumor effects, antibacterial effects, anti-radiation damage effects, and others. Unlike other well-known animal foods, edible insects represent a new food ingredient and an important food source for the future. Hence, the safety issues and potential hazards of insect foods are of great concern. Producing edible insects sustainably will significantly enhance food security.

The Topic “Sustainable Utilization of Insect Biodiversity in Agriculture Forestry and Food Systems Resource Utilization, Food Security and Policy Integration” provides a platform for publishing both reviews and original research papers. Please join us in creating a diverse collection of articles on a variety of topics. We look forward to receiving contributions.

Dr. Yu Gao
Prof. Dr. Yunfei Xie
Dr. Menglei Xu
Topic Editors

Keywords

  • insects in agriculture and forestry
  • integrated utilization of pest resources
  • insects’ role in circular food production
  • insects as nutrient-rich ingredients for food and feed
  • insects as feed ingredients
  • insects as bioconverters of waste
  • insects as pharmaceutical ingredients
  • insects and global food security
  • insect food safety and quality control
  • sustainable agriculture and forestry

Participating Journals

Journal Name Impact Factor CiteScore Launched Year First Decision (median) APC
Agriculture
agriculture
3.3 6.3 2011 19.2 Days CHF 2600 Submit
Foods
foods
4.7 8.7 2012 14.5 Days CHF 2900 Submit
Insects
insects
2.7 5.6 2010 16.7 Days CHF 2600 Submit
Forests
forests
2.4 4.6 2010 16.2 Days CHF 2600 Submit
Sustainability
sustainability
3.3 7.7 2009 19.7 Days CHF 2400 Submit
Wild
wild
- - 2024 15.0 days * CHF 1000 Submit

* Median value for all MDPI journals in the second half of 2024.


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Published Papers (1 paper)

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20 pages, 3131 KiB  
Article
Optimized MaxEnt Model Predicts Future Suitable Habitats for Chinese Caterpillar Fungus Under Climate Change
by Yaqin Peng, Zhihang Zhuo, Qianqian Qian and Danping Xu
Agriculture 2025, 15(11), 1144; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15111144 - 26 May 2025
Viewed by 195
Abstract
The Chinese Caterpillar Fungus (CCF) is a precious and rare traditional Chinese medicinal material that is extremely sensitive to environmental changes, making wild resources scarce. Therefore, studying the impact of climate change on the potential distribution and changes of the CCF is of [...] Read more.
The Chinese Caterpillar Fungus (CCF) is a precious and rare traditional Chinese medicinal material that is extremely sensitive to environmental changes, making wild resources scarce. Therefore, studying the impact of climate change on the potential distribution and changes of the CCF is of great significance. Employing an enhanced MaxEnt approach (optimized with ENMeval), this study determined the primary ecological constraints on CCF and mapped its potential present and future ranges. The results indicated that elevation, bio05, bio04, bio12, bio11, slope, d1_ph_water, and hf were the driving environmental factors influencing the survival of the CCF. The ideal habitat zones for the CCF were mainly distributed in the plateau and alpine climate zones of northwestern and southwestern China, covering an area of 7.42 × 104 km2. Compared with the current climate scenario, the area of suitable habitats for the CCF was expected to increase in the future. In the 2090s, under the SSP1–2.6 scenario, the highly suitable areas for the CCF will have increased the most, by 67.54%, while the low–suitability areas will have decreased by 6.87%. Overall, the highly suitable areas for the CCF will shift towards higher latitudes. The outcomes of this study can inform subsequent conservation strategies for CCF resources and facilitate research on other ecological variables affecting CCF distribution patterns. Full article
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