Importance of the Oriental mole cricket (Gryllotalpa orientalis) to gatherers’ livelihoods in Guiyang city, China

Abstract

Edible insects contribute to the livelihoods of impoverished people worldwide and have become a key method to combat rural poverty. This study reports the role of harvesting the Oriental mole cricket (Gryllotalpa orientalis) in gatherers’ livelihoods in Guiyang city, China. We recorded 44 people involved in gathering the Oriental mole cricket, 34 of whom were successfully interviewed in an urban open market. All the gatherers were from the rural ethnic Miao community. Opportunities for sustaining their livelihoods were limited, and 82.4% (n=28) claimed that the Oriental mole cricket made the most important contribution to their family income. The study participants collected these insects almost every weekday, using a hoe to dig them out of the soil, and sold them at the market on weekends. They could earn an estimated gross income ranging from US dollars 1,118 to 9,176 per annum, representing a stable and considerable revenue source. However, the crickets were bought only by keepers of the Chinese hwamei (Garrulax canorus) bird, which has recently been categorised as a Class II key national protected species in China. The ban on keeping this species might cause a serious social problem. If alternative income sources are absent, strict enforcement could affect the livelihoods of the live-food gatherers. We call on bird conservation agencies to pay more attention to impoverished people in the process of decision-making. Our study identifies a rarely mentioned policy factor inhibiting the use of insects to combat rural poverty.