Land Use

The land on this planet is destroyed by animal agriculture, which could instead be used in numerous ways. When there is a less usage of land for animal agriculture, it can instead be used to grow food for the hungry, shelter the impoverished, turn back into nature, and more.

Livestock covers 45% of the earth’s total land.

Hunger

The land used to raise livestock as well as grow the food to feed livestock comprises 77% of all agricultural land, 38.5% of habitable land, and 27% of total Earth.

Instead of using all of this land to produce meat and dairy products to feed a small portion of the worldwide population, we could use the food already grown for animal agriculture to feed everybody.

1.5 acres can produce 37,000 pounds of plant-based food, and 1.5 acres can produce 375 pounds of beef.

Currently, we grow enough food to feed every single person in this world 6 meals a day.

Why do we have a world hunger issue then?

At least 50% of grain we grow is fed to livestock. Our cows and other livestock are being mass produced, fed a ton of food, and killed to support the heavy meat and dairy diets eaten by a small percentage of our worldwide population.

If we ate plant-based we’d save a ton of land from agricultural production. For example, a study showed that if everyone ate the nutritionally recommended amount of animal products (not even a plant-based diet) we’d need 13% less land to grow feed and save an area the size of the European Union.

Desertification

Today, the land used for animal agriculture, specifically pastures to raise cows, destroys the soil. The land is used for a couple of years and then it is uninhabitable by the cows, causing the land to be deserted and unable to be healthy enough for the growth of any other agriculture.

“Animal agriculture is the cause leading driver for approximately 1/3 of the land lost on earth due to desertification.”

How are YOU going to be the Impact?

There are two points that we must think about when we consume meat or dairy products.

The amount of land used to raise the animal or animal product that you are consuming
The amount of land used to grow the food to feed the animal that you are consuming.

When you eat plant-based, there is less land needed to grow your food. This causes the food needed to feed the cow you were once going to consume, to go to somebody who is genuinely in need of food.