There have been several studies to indicate that besides protecting animals from unnecessary cruelty, veganism can reduce world hunger. This is why William Smith at veganscult.com is providing information and tips on what is vegan and what is not.
In this article, we will zero in on the claim that veganism can end world hunger, but first, for those who may be new to the term, we will give an overview of what it actually means to be vegan.
What is Veganism
Veganism is a lifestyle and culture based on abstaining from any products that are produced through the exploitation of animals. It is not to be confused with vegetarianism, as someone can be a vegetarian but still use products that are produced by the exploitation and cruelty of animals.
An individual who practices veganism is known as a vegan.
An Overview of The Problem Of World Hunger
With the global population at seven billion people, world hunger is so severe that we have an estimated 805 million people suffering from chronic hunger. What if we added that to speculation that a population increase is highly likely to sit at 9 billion by 2050?
Failure to manage a foreseeable crisis has been known to have disastrous outcomes like wars and political tension as tension rises over survival needs. It is thus of paramount importance to mitigate that foreseeable reality by evolving our mindsets into a new culture of life.
A veganism-centered global economy tops the list as one of the pre-emptive measures to reduce and eventually eradicate world hunger without worrying about population growth.
Can Veganism Reduce World Hunger?
It is a verifiable fact that there are enough plant-based food supplies in existence to give the entire world population a balanced diet. The challenge is that a large number of those crops are used to feed livestock because we live in a world economy where a large part of food production is based on animal sources. The simple logic is that it obviously takes more plants to produce a smaller portion of animal-based foods of the same value, as these foods have to be first broken down and integrated in the animal’s body.
Consumption vs. Output
The food for instance that a cow would have to eat to grow to a level where it is deemed eligible for slaughter by meat-eaters would obviously outweigh the energy it will provide once slaughtered. This also thus increases the pricing of animal-based products making the food less accessible to the poor in struggling economies.
Yet simultaneously food industries are built around that model.
The University of Minnesota conducted a study to investigate the correlation of agricultural resources to world hunger. The finding indicated that the world food supply would increase by 70 percent if humans lived on crops as opposed to feeding them to livestock. This increase would support approximately 4 billion people.
A good example is that corn and soybeans are produced in tons, yet 50% of corn and about 80% of the latter are fed to animals. This is only one example out of many.
Food Lost in Animal Metabolism
To further demonstrate that eating animal-based foods is not very economic we have to factor in that livestock does not convert a lot of that food to energy. This is illustrated by the fact that you can feed a cow up to 20 pounds of grain and only see a 1 pound increase in muscle. The cow by the way will expend a lot of energy during its lifetime. Cattle are generally not built physiologically to digest the grain they are fed by farmers with commercial interests. Their biology is best suited for grass.
Grass on the other hand is not a very wise or sustainable option as it also carries a lot of demerits. Grazing can displace and endanger other animals by destroying their habitats. Gradually it can also cause soil erosion, which can lead to desertification of farmland.
A Quick Run-Down On Resource Allocation versus Output
It is well known that over 56 million acres of land in the United States alone are used for livestock-based agriculture whilst in contrast 4 million are used for plant-based agriculture. Needless to say, one acre of land is responsible for 250 pounds of beef, whilst the same space can produce 53,000 pounds of potatoes.
As if that is not already too much to swallow, what if you discovered that 70% of the grain in America is fed to farm animals and not humans? To be specific, cattle are consuming food equivalent to the calorie needs of about 8.7 billion people. Reportedly 70% of domestic water is used on livestock farming, which requires 4200 gallons daily in contrast to 300 gallons per day that can be used on plant-based agriculture.
In Conclusion
Veganism can usher away into a new world where everyone can be sustainable that’s why William Smith has made resources available on his resource-rich website veganscult.com
Feel free to take a look at the website.