It bears a resemblance to an intergalactic alien spaceship instead of a farm, but this futuristic spiky plastic pod could soon be keeping the human race fed with crickets.

Designed by New York-based non-profit organisation Terreform ONE, this space-age cricket shelter could help solve the forthcoming food crisis that faces the world as populations continue to grow. The designers strongly believe that consuming a bunch of protein-rich and nutritious crickets could be the solution.

The shelters are adaptable and can be used independently or piled together to form a line of bug-farming caves. When the farm is up and running the insects can be gathered as and when they're needed, before they are dried and ground into flour which incredibly contains up to three times the protein of steak.

The designer commented: 'In an advanced economic setting, this farm can introduce a sophisticated and ultra-sanitary method of locally harvesting insects for the production of cricket flour in fine cuisine recipes.'

The farm includes several wind spikes on top of the shelter for ventilation, but they also help increase the cricket's chirps as they rub their legs together in song. The units have a ventilation screen and a malleable insect sack with removable feeding pots that lock into place.

It would seem the largest problem may be convincing people that eating insects is a good idea but in terms of design, the futuristic Cricket Shelter is not a bad start.

Images and video provided by Terreform ONE