Eating Less Meat Could Double Global Food Supply.

A new study says eating less meat could help double the world’s food supply.

Along with sustainable farming, and reduced deforestation (both issues related to meat and livestock feed production) eating less meat might mean more food for everyone. Researchers suggest that by using prime farmland to grow food to feed humans rather than inefficient livestock, countries could increase their edible food supplies by 50%. Not just a good thing but a nessesary one.

The world population is currently around 6.9 billion and is expected to grow to 9 billion by 2050. If everyone in the west continues eating their current meat-heavy diet and folks in developing nations continue to increase their intake, there will not be enough edible resources to go around. 

The study’s authors aren’t saying that everyone even has to go vegan (although they should). The authors suggest that avoiding meat 2 or 3 days a week could do the trick. Amazing to think that such a small change could have such a huge impact.

Curious to see how this new research changes the debate. The study will be published in its entirety on October 20th in the journal Nature.