Animal farming is extremely resource inefficient
We all know about the emissions from farming that are catastrophic for our environment. But fewer people are aware that “meat, aquaculture, eggs and dairy use ~83% of the world’s farmland…despite providing only 37% of our protein 18% of our calories” (Poore and Nemecek, 2018). That means 82% of our calories and 63% of our protein comes from only ~17% of the land currently occupied for agricultural use. That also means that since plant farming is so efficient at providing calories and protein for human health and consumption, if we were to eliminate animal agriculture, we could produce far more calories for humans to eat directly; enough to feed the entire human population.
Optimising land use for food
In fact, we could reduce agricultural land use by 75%, including a 25% reduction in land currently used to grow crops (Poore and Nemecek, 2018). It means something else though too – there would be a surplus of land left over. Globally, agriculture currently uses 38% of the global land surface (FAO of the UN).With all this considered, it’s easy to understand that we are over-exploiting the land and why research has shown that in this mass extinction crisis, the second leading cause of species extinction is agriculture (Maxwell et al, 2016). For example, 97% of wildflower meadows have been “lost” since the 1930s (Plantlife UK). Meadows have been been replaced with grass for direct animal grazing, to grow silage (winter feed for animals) or crops for human consumption. Some have been lost to urban development. Surviving meadows exist where it’s not profitable to intensively manage the land due to inhospitable terrain or poor soil fertility.
Helping pollinators
As a result, the populations of the 1400 species of insects and pollinators that rely on wildflowers for food are in decline. Importantly, pollinators are crucial for our food security and many are becoming endangered. Imagine what could be done with the 75% of the land no longer required for agriculture if the world ceased animal farming. Allowing land to be re-wilded back to meadow, forest, peatland or other habitat appropriate for the location would help populations of pollinators and other endangered wildlife to recover and thrive.
Plant based diets can help save us from environmental collapse
This could be part of the effort to save us from ourselves, but only if people like you are willing to change.
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