Preliminary project design for insect production: part 4 – facility considerations

At the end of the preliminary project design (PPD) phase an aspiring entopreneur should have a clear idea of the scope and scale of the project being proposed. Hence, during PPD a number of aspects of the facilities must be considered. These are here dealt with in terms of basic questions that should first be answered about the project as a whole; project location issues; to what degree the facility is to be integrated or segregated into different units; what functionality is to be housed within the various building envelopes; and how safety and hygiene concerns can be addressed. As well, three ancillary issues are discussed that may affect facility design, construction and operation: the development of new production organisms that can grow on low-cost feeds; the possibility of disease evolution; and the matter of animal welfare.