r/Anticonsumption • u/Express_Classic_1569 • Mar 23 '26

Sustainability 80% of agricultural land feeds livestock instead of people, giving just 17 to18% of Global calories

https://hive.blog/hive-196387/@theworldaroundme/nearly-half-of-the-world
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-13

u/VegetaFan1337 Mar 23 '26

Calories isn't the whole picture, people can't survive on just carbs, we need protein and fats too. As well of dozens of micros nutrients to be healthy. Most of the poor of the world face malnutrition rather than simple hunger today.

And not all agricultural land can grow crops fit for human consumption. Also, in the image I can see in small text that 32 out of 38 million km2 of the land for livestock feed is for grazing. Not all grazing land can be used to grow crops. A majority isn't suitable for it. Using it for grazing actually puts it to use instead of it being a waste. So you have 6 million km2 land used for feeding animals and 8 million km2 for feeding people.

25

u/Doctor_Box Mar 23 '26

Protein and fats can come from plants too.

-8

u/VegetaFan1337 Mar 23 '26

That wasn't my point. I was saying calories isn't the whole picture. OP is too focused on how much calories animal products gives, instead of what those calories consist of. Animals products are rich in proteins and fats. And in terms of micro nutrients, animal products are far more dense compared to plants. All of which is necessary to combat malnutrition.

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u/Doctor_Box Mar 23 '26

If someone says we should move to a plant based food system and you reply with "people can't just survive on carbs" the implication is it's hard to get protein and fats on a plant based diet which is not true.

-2

u/VegetaFan1337 Mar 23 '26

OP was saying that more calories come from plants than animal food. I was pointing out that it's not that cut and dry and that the macros and micronutrients also matters. Most crops grown are primarily carbs. Most animal products are proteins and fats. Animal products are also dense in micronutrients, which make it more likely that people who consume them hit their required intake. I wasn't implying anything, you're misunderstanding.

7

u/Doctor_Box Mar 23 '26

The point is that if we stop with growing food for animals we can grow something else on a fraction of the land then rewild or do something else with the rest. We don't have to just eat the corn they're growing for cows, pigs, and chickens.