New research from Wageningen University reflects what vegans have been saying for ages: if we just eat the plants ourselves, nobody would go hungry!
Did you know that roughly half of all farmland is used to grow plants for animal feed?
A vegan diet requires almost 30% less land than meat diets, and eating predominantly plant-based is famously more healthy than the traditional meat-based diet.
So, we can save the poor from starving, and the rich from eating unhealthy food, if we all just go vegan! 🌱
The more efficient option
Using land and resources to produce food for animals so that humans eventually can eat those animals is without a doubt an inefficient system. The new research claims the key to ending world hunger lies here.
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According to the Dutch study, vegan diets require about 0.12 hectares of land per person per year. In comparison, a meat-based needs 0.17 hectares per person per year. 🤔
In addition, it’s far more resource-intensive to produce enough veggies and plant protein for livestock than it is to do the same for humans. We just eat way less than those big cows! 🐄
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In other words, if we stopped feeding livestock so we can eventually eat it, and use the space to grow food for humans instead, we can make real social change.
The more sustainable option
In addition to the added resource efficiency, the Wageningen research also points out that there is an important sustainability aspect to the vegan diet.
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Of course, less livestock means fewer emissions, but it also means less natural disturbance.
With less farmland exploited for unnecessary food production, we can focus more on restoring nature, planting carbon-capturing forests, and increasing overall biodiversity.
It’s no secret that agriculture is among the absolute worst industries from a sustainability perspective.
Pair that with the fact that less meat is super beneficial for human (and animal) health, and you’ve got yourself a good reason to try out veganism!
Do you think this plan could work? Tell us in the comments below!