You’ve probably heard that more people around the world are eating insects to help reduce agricultural waste and replace protein in meat-based diets. But have you ever seen farmers raise flies to make animal food?

A few months ago, the National Geographic video team came across a new research project being conducted at the Guangdong Entomological Institute in Guangzhou, China: Researchers were raising fly larvae using food waste and then feeding the larvae to cows, poultry, and chicken.

According to Xincheng An, a researcher involved in the project at the Guangdong Entomological Institute, the soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) is one of only a few species of insects that can effectively process kitchen garbage.

An and others are working to improve on this