{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,5]],"date-time":"2026-08-05T09:48:52Z","timestamp":1785923332235,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,5]],"date-time":"2026-08-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785888000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Insects"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Insects are fundamental to ecosystem functioning and human welfare, yet their multifaceted contributions to ecological services, food security, rural livelihoods, and cultural heritage remain insufficiently represented in mainstream scientific research and policy. Despite growing global recognition of insect decline and the potential of entomophagy to address food system challenges, integrated evidence linking global ecological knowledge with community-level indigenous practices is lacking, particularly in sub-Saharan African contexts. A narrative bibliometric review was conducted through systematic searches of Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed databases, supplemented by FAO, IPBES, and MDPI Insects repositories. Searches were conducted between January 2024 and May 2026 using keyword combinations spanning entomophagy, ecosystem services, insect decline, indigenous knowledge and edible insects in Africa. Four thematic dimensions are synthesised: (1) ecological services, (2) nutritional value and food security, (3) economic contribution and livelihoods, and (4) socio-cultural and ethnomedicinal significance. The Venda region of Limpopo Province emerges as a compelling case study of how insect\u2013human relationships intersect with biodiversity conservation, food security, and rural development. Actions include integrating indigenous knowledge with scientific research, strengthening sustainable community-based insect harvesting practices, and incorporating edible insects into South Africa\u2019s food, nutrition, and biodiversity policies in alignment with global sustainability and biodiversity goals.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/insects17080812","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,5]],"date-time":"2026-08-05T09:16:22Z","timestamp":1785921382000},"page":"812","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Insects and Human Society: Ecological Services, Nutritional Value, Livelihood Support and Cultural Significance from Global Perspectives to Rural Venda, South Africa"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Khavhatondwi Rinah","family":"Mofokeng","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, University of South Africa, P\/Bag X6, Florida 1710, South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5998962","DOI":"10.1155\/2024\/5998962","article-title":"A Systematic Review of Insect Decline and Discovery: Trends, Drivers, and Conservation Strategies over the past Two Decades","volume":"2024","author":"Gebreegziabher","year":"2024","journal-title":"Psyche J. 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