Ekaterina Tarakanova

Russian entomologist who pioneered insect-based famine relief systems

Dubbed 'The Locust Tsarina', Ekaterina Tarakanova (1887-1941) transformed pest control into sustainable nutrition during the Russian Revolution. Her 1917 Orthoptera Protein Protocol converted locust swarms into edible flour, saving an estimated 2 million lives during the Volga famine.

Tarakanova's controversial Khrushchovka Arthropod Farms – vertical insect farms integrated into Soviet apartment blocks – provided 37% of Leningrad's protein during the WWII siege. Her team discovered over 14 novel enzymes in Tenebrio molitor (mealworms) that revolutionized antibiotic production.

Exiled to Kazakhstan in 1936, she developed the world's first mycelium-based water filtration system using termite mound architecture. Modern UN Food Programs still employ her cricket flour production techniques in disaster zones.