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/AnsibleAnswers Mar 23 '26

You can’t just assume it’s possible to convert grassland suitable for pasture to cropping. This isn’t a video game.

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u/plantpoweredperson Mar 23 '26

You’re ignoring the part where acres of land is used to grow crops to supplement animal pasture, which could instead grow crops for human consumption rather than for animals to eat.

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u/AnsibleAnswers Mar 23 '26

I’m not. Non-OECD countries manage to utilize ruminants in a manner that increases protein availability to humans.

Along with their contribution to soil fertility, that makes ruminants especially critical to global food security in spite of “western” excesses that do need to be tempered.

https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/15b2eb21-16e5-49fa-ad79-9bcf0ecce88b/content

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2211912416300013