From Flies to the Future: How Siemens and Nasekomo Are Transforming Sustainable Farming

Don’t Scream: A Unique Protein Source May Help Feed the World

Feeding a growing global population has never been more urgent—or more unsustainable. With over 8 billion people on Earth and 45% of habitable land already dedicated to agriculture (most of it used for animal feed), the world needs a new approach. According to Our World in Data, around 80% of this land supports livestock—yet animal-based food provides just 17% of the global calorie intake. This imbalance drives deforestation, biodiversity loss, and greenhouse gas emissions.

Nasekomo, a biotech innovator from Bulgaria, is tackling these challenges with an unexpected solution: insects.

*The black soldier fly is helping turn byproducts from agriculture and beverage production into high quality protein for feed. (Image: Nasekomo.)*

But this isn’t about eating bugs. It’s about leveraging insect bioconversion to create high-value protein and fertilizer in a fully circular, low-impact system. With Siemens as a strategic technology partner, Nasekomo is proving that the future of farming can be smart, scalable, and sustainable.

The Power of Insects—and Innovation

Insects dominate the planet’s animal biomass and have evolved to convert organic matter into valuable nutrients efficiently. Nasekomo harnesses the lifecycle of the Black Soldier Fly (BSF) to convert organic byproducts from industries like breweries and food production facilities into defatted protein meal, insect oil, fertilizer, and dried larvae for animal feed.

*Employee checking the production process of Nasekomo’s organic certified insect fertilizer ((Image: Nasekomo.)*

This approach closes the loop in food production and reduces dependence on traditional feed sources like soy and fishmeal, which have significant ecological footprints.

But it’s not just biology driving this revolution—it’s technology. Nasekomo has partnered with Siemens to fully automate, simulate, and optimize its operations.

Digital-First Farming: Built on Siemens Technology

From the beginning, Nasekomo embraced a digital-first strategy. “We never had a digital transformation,” says Stefka Mavrodieva, Chief Digital Director at Nasekomo. “We were born digital—with Siemens.”

Key Siemens solutions powering Nasekomo’s smart farming include:

Solid Edge: Enables rapid design iteration, reliable prototyping, and seamless collaboration with version control.
Tecnomatix Plant Simulation: Models factory layouts and operations in a virtual space to test workflows, identify bottlenecks, and minimize downtime.
SIMATIC WinCC Open Architecture: Provides advanced SCADA systems for real-time data monitoring, process control, and AI-driven insights.
Teamcenter: Centralizes product lifecycle data and fosters cross-functional teamwork across global teams and sites.

Together, these technologies empower Nasekomo to build and operate precision-engineered factories around the world, enabling a scalable franchise model rooted in local circular economies.

By combining cutting-edge biology with digital engineering, Nasekomo and Siemens are reshaping how the world produces food—and laying the groundwork for a more sustainable, resilient future.

*Nasekomo is using Siemens’ Tecnomatix Plant Simulation to digitally model and test their entire production plant in advance. (Image: Nasekomo.)*

Solid Edge: Engineering the Future of Sustainable Farming

At the core of Nasekomo’s engineering process is Siemens’ Solid Edge, a powerful 3D CAD solution that enables the design, prototyping, and optimization of equipment tailored for insect bioconversion. Solid Edge empowers Nasekomo’s engineers to rapidly iterate designs and create precise digital models of machinery that supports the Black Soldier Fly lifecycle—from larval feeding systems to automated harvesters and environmental control units.

The software’s integrated simulation and drafting capabilities allow the team to test functionality and make design refinements before anything is built, saving time, reducing waste, and minimizing costly physical prototyping. Because insect farming involves living organisms, design precision and adaptability are essential to ensure consistent environmental conditions and optimal yield. Solid Edge’s stable and intuitive platform enables engineers to tweak designs in real time, collaborate across departments, and maintain rigorous version control via its seamless integration with Teamcenter.

*Assembly of platform machine and embedded part library in Solid Edge. (Image: Nasekomo.)*

According to Chief Digital Director Stefka Mavrodieva, Solid Edge has become a cornerstone of their digital strategy: “We use custom industrial technologies designed for the specific biology of our organisms. Solid Edge helps us manage these unique requirements while giving us the flexibility to optimize quickly. It almost never crashes, which is critical when you’re working on tight deadlines with a lot of data.”

Thanks to Solid Edge, Nasekomo is not just building machines—they’re building a repeatable model for next-generation agriculture, one that is both biologically sensitive and digitally robust.

*Marc Bolard, Nasekomo’s CEO and Stefka Mavrodieva, Chief Digital Officer at Nasekomo. (Image: Nasekomo.)*

Solid Edge enhances design iteration with quick modifications and rapid prototyping. It integrates with a PDM system for efficient data management and version control. Known for its stability, it minimizes crashes, saving time and preventing data loss.
Stefka Mavrodieva, Chief Digital Officer, Nasekomo

Scaling Sustainably with AI and Digital Twins

What makes Nasekomo unique isn’t just its bio-based solution—it’s the way AI, digital twins, and automation are integrated across operations.

Before construction, each new facility is simulated using Tecnomatix Plant Simulation, allowing engineers to replicate local conditions, optimize design, and validate performance virtually. Once operational, the simulation becomes a digital twin—a dynamic, real-time model of the physical plant used to fine-tune performance and minimize waste.

This smart infrastructure ensures that every step—from feeding larvae to harvesting high-value outputs—is optimized for efficiency, predictability, and minimal environmental impact.

A Future Built on Collaboration

Nasekomo’s innovations represent a broader shift in agriculture: from linear, extractive systems to regenerative, data-driven ecosystems. This transformation is only possible through close collaboration and shared vision.

“For us, Siemens is not just a tech supplier. It’s a strategic partner,” says Marc Bolard, CEO of Nasekomo. “When we’re designing a new process or troubleshooting a challenge, we collaborate deeply. Siemens brings the tools and the expertise that let us innovate faster and smarter.”

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