A bioeconomic model linking growth, survival, and feed conversion to profitability in farmed Acheta domesticus

Abstract The rapid expansion of cricket farming highlights the need for practical tools that connect biological performance to economic outcomes. We developed a bioeconomic model for the house cricket ( Acheta domesticus ) that integrates growth, survivorship, and feed conversion into a profitability framework. Biological parameters were estimated from a published growth and feeding experiment (Morales-Ramos et al ., 2018), including exponential decay models for survivorship (mean ), logistic models for body mass (mean R 2 = 0.99), and a Gamma generalized linear model with a log link describing feed conversion ratio as a function of age (mean ). These functions were combined with economic inputs such as feed cost and market price to simulate batch production, and identify the harvest age that maximizes annualized profit per unit area. Using elasticity analyses around low- and high-efficiency farm scenarios, we found that profitability is most sensitive to adult mortality rate, growth rate inflection point, and the slope of the feed conversion rate function. Heatmaps generated from sensitivity analyses revealed that optimal harvest timing shifts depending on biological performance and cost structure, emphasizing the importance of aligning management with system-specific conditions. This framework highlights which traits offer the greatest leverage for improving economic outcomes, supporting both selective breeding targets and short-term management interventions. By providing open R code and transparent documentation, the model is designed for immediate application in research and farm operations. Overall, this work establishes a baseline tool for benchmarking, optimization, and future standardization efforts in the cricket farming industry.