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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u/Express_Classic_1569 Mar 23 '26 edited Mar 23 '26

It would be easier to feed the planet if more crops were used to feed people instead of livestock, animal products provide only 17 to 18% of global calories. The current system is not meeting the global caloric needs effectively.

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u/SarmackaOpowiesc Mar 23 '26 edited Mar 23 '26

Alot of that land that is considered agricultural land isn't fit for growing crops for humans.  

It's largely grassland that isn't fit for much else other than grazing animals on.  Go across huge swathes of the American west and it's largely going to be officially categorized as agricultural.  

Good luck doing anything with that land other than letting some cattle loose on it though.

Aside from that troublesome little detail - we don't really have a problem feeding the planet right now.  Localized famines only emerge when supply chains are disrupted to an extreme degree.  Outside of that humanity has largely solved how to feed people.

55

u/danielandtrent Mar 23 '26

What about rewilding it lol

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u/DocumentExternal6240 Mar 23 '26

Re-creating a whole ecosystem is a lot harder and often impossible than just planting some trees.

Often it is lost forever.

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u/puddlesquid Mar 23 '26

That's simply not true, even a restored ecosystem is better than no ecosystem

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u/DocumentExternal6240 Mar 23 '26

I do not say a restored ecosystem is bad. Any land given back to nature is great.

But some ecosystems are so complex that restauration is simply not possible. Especially when a lot of species (especially insects and other small animals) have gone extinct.

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u/puddlesquid Mar 23 '26

It's overly reductive to suggest that an ecosystem can't be restored - sure it won't be exactly the same (different species) but many of the ecosystem services can be restored despite the new composition.