Can Veganism Mitigate World Hunger and Starvation?
| Paired Videos: | Wide: 5:23 Minutes | Tall: 59 Seconds |
About This Page
We explore the connection between animal agriculture and world hunger and starvation.
This notes page use bullet points—it is not an essay. It follows a consistent structure used throughout this website, as reflected in the top-level headings and table of contents. The numbers beside the headings indicate counts of items and subitems.
The advocacy resources section of this page provides tips, images, slides, and flashcards.
In addition to the video prominently featured above, there is also a second paired video—a vertical short that can be viewed and shared here.
Relevance
Some industry sources [1]"The Value and Importance of Animal Agriculture. Dairy Business Magazine. June 12, 2020. Quote: “Animal agriculture provides milk, meat, fish and eggs at a time when access to safe, nutritious and … Continue reading[2]Lawrence P Reynolds, Meghan C Wulster-Radcliffe, Debra K Aaron, Teresa A Davis, Importance of Animals in Agricultural Sustainability and Food Security, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 145, … Continue reading have at least implied that animal agriculture is necessary for producing enough food for everyone, yet the evidence as shown herein contradicts this notion.
The ability of veganism to have a positive impact on world hunger is often overlooked as one of the merits of veganism, yet perhaps should be included alongside animal ethics, the environment, and other public and personal human health issues.
It’s not unusual for someone to dismiss veganism by stating that as long as there are starving people, we should put them first over non-human animals.
Context
Over nine million total and three million children starve to death every year.(UN World Food Program, 2022)[3]10 Facts About Child Hunger in The World. UN World Food Program, July 2022 [4]In world of wealth, 9 million people die every year from hunger. UN World Food Program, September 2021
Over 800 million total and 300 million children face hunger and malnutrition daily.(UN World Food Program, 2022)[5]10 Facts About Child Hunger in The World. UN World Food Program, July 2022
A rising human population will require a 60% increase in food production by 2050.(the UN FAO Hunger Facts report)[6]“Hunger-Facts | ICN2 | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,” November 2014.
While we do produce enough to feed everyone[7]Without Clearing Any New Farmland, We Could Feed Two Earths’ Worth of People, Bloomberg (analysis), December 15, 2020, hunger and starvation are complex problems involving logistics, food waste, war, extreme weather, poverty, food production systems, and pandemics.[8]“6 Causes of World Hunger - Why There Is Global Food Insecurity.” UN World Food Program
Key Points
Multiple studies assert that we can feed far more people on a plant-based, vegan diet.
“…the calories that are lost by feeding cereals to animals, instead of using them directly as human food, could theoretically feed an extra 3.5 billion people.”(a research report from the United Nations Environment Program, the World Bank, and others, and signed by 58 nations (the IAASTD report))[9]“The IAASTD Report—Agriculture at a Crossroads.” United Nations Environment Program, 2008.
“Replacing all animal-based items with plant-based replacement diets can produce up to 20 times more nutritionally similar food on the same amount of land”(a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by two environmental scientists, a physicist, and a molecular biologist)[10]Shepon, Alon, Gidon Eshel, Elad Noor, and Ron Milo. “The Opportunity Cost of Animal Based Diets Exceeds All Food Losses.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115, no. 15 … Continue reading
We could feed an additional 400 million people in the United States with grain that livestock eats. (an analysis by a Cornell University ecologist)[11]“U.S. Could Feed 800 Million People with Grain That Livestock Eat, Cornell Ecologist Advises Animal Scientists.” Cornell Chronicle, February 5, 2022.
Nearly 80% of the world’s grains and soy are used to feed animals.
According to the UN’s FAO and the Our World in Data group, we feed nearly 80% of the world’s soy and coarse grains (corn, barley, sorghum, millet, rye and oats) to animals.[12]Food Outlook. United Nations FAO. November 2022[13]Soy, Our World in Data. Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser. 2020[14]The figures for coarse grains and soy in the two citations above were used to calculate a combined percentage of 79.11.
According to some, most of the world’s hungry children live in countries that give food to animals destined to be eaten by the more affluent.
“Tragically, some 80% of the world’s hungry children live in countries with actual food surpluses, much of which is in the form of feed fed to animals which will be consumed by only the well-to-do consumers.”(Jeremy Rifkin, noted author of 23 books on the impact of global changes)[15]Jeremy Rifkin. The World’s Problems on a Plate. The Guardian. 2002
“82% of the world’s starving children live in countries where food is fed to animals that are then killed and eaten by more well-off individuals in developed countries like the US, UK, and in Europe.” (Dr. Richard Oppenlander)[16]Dr. Richard Oppenlander. “Comfortably Unaware :: The World Hunger-Food Choice Connection: A Summary,” April 22, 2012.
The reason we can feed far more on a vegan diet is because animal agriculture is extremely inefficient.
Animal agriculture is so inefficient because most of the feed calories consumed by an animal go toward energy for daily living. Also, some energy is expended to produce body parts that are not consumed.[17]James Rowe and John Nolan, Energy Requirements of Livestock. The Theory and Practice of Animal Nutrition. 2009
Animal agriculture uses 83% of farmland while producing only 18% of total calories and 37% of calories from protein. Conversely, 17% of farmland is used to grow food for human consumption, yet produces 82% of total calories and 63% of calories from protein. (a 2018 study from Oxford which has been called “the most comprehensive analysis to date of the damage farming does to the planet,”[18]Carrington, Damian, and Damian Carrington Environment editor. “Avoiding Meat and Dairy Is ‘Single Biggest Way’ to Reduce Your Impact on Earth.” The Guardian, May 31, 2018, sec. … Continue reading having examined 38,700 farms in 119 countries representing 90% of the world’s protein and calorie consumption.)[19]Poore, J., and T. Nemecek. “Reducing Food’s Environmental Impacts through Producers and Consumers.” Science 360, no. 6392 (June 2018): 987–92.
It takes on average 24 calories of plant feed to produce one calorie of food from animals. (a peer-reviewed study published by the World Resources Institute in 2014, titled “Creating a Sustainable Food Future,”)[20]An average of the figures for various farmed animals from this study on page 37 figure 2: World Resources Institute. “Creating a Sustainable Food Future.” World Resources Institute, 2013-2014
It takes on average 7 pounds of feed to produce one pound of food made from animal flesh and secretions. Even with the dismal feed conversion ratio of 7 to 1, such a ratio understates the inefficiency because it “improperly compares the weight of a relatively wet output [meat, dairy, and eggs] to the weight of a relatively dry input [feed grains]”. (a peer-reviewed study published by the World Resources Institute in 2014, titled “Creating a Sustainable Food Future,”)[21]“Creating a Sustainable Food Future: Interim Findings | World Resources Institute, PDF.” December 2, 2013.
“36% of the calories produced by the world’s crops are being used for animal feed, and only 12% of those feed calories ultimately contribute to the human diet [as meat and other animal products].” (a University of Minnesota study)[22]“Redefining Agricultural Yields: From Tonnes to People Nourished per Hectare – IOPscience,” August 13, 2013.
According to a study published in the journal Nature, if everyone in the world were to adopt a Western-style diet high in meat and dairy, it would require 4 Earths to provide enough pastureland and cropland to feed the livestock and produce the necessary feed.[23]Poore, J. and Nemecek, T. (2018). Options for keeping the food system within environmental limits. Nature, 562(7728), pp. 519-525.
Counterclaims
Claim: We already produce enough food to feed everyone—hunger and starvation are logistical and food waste problems.
Yes, we are producing enough to feed everyone,[24]Without Clearing Any New Farmland, We Could Feed Two Earths’ Worth of People, Bloomberg (analysis), December 15, 2020 and logistics and food waste do indeed contribute to hunger and starvation problems, as do war, extreme weather, extreme poverty, and pandemics.[25]“6 Causes of World Hunger – Why There Is Global Food Insecurity.” UN World Food Program
It would be naïve the think that the ability to feed an additional 3.5 billion globally[26]“The IAASTD Report—Agriculture at a Crossroads.” United Nations Environment Program, 2008. and an additional 400 million in the US[27]“U.S. Could Feed 800 Million People with Grain That Livestock Eat, Cornell Ecologist Advises Animal Scientists.” Cornell Chronicle, February 5, 2022. would not help with the problem.
“The benefits of replacing animal-based food with plant-based food “are well above the expected benefits of eliminating all supply chain food waste [which includes logistics], according to an analysis of opportunity costs.”(a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by two environmental scientists, a physicist, and a molecular biologist)[28]Shepon, Alon, Gidon Eshel, Elad Noor, and Ron Milo. “The Opportunity Cost of Animal Based Diets Exceeds All Food Losses.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115, no. 15 … Continue reading
The need for a 60% increase in global food production by 2050 due to a rising population (the UN FAO Hunger Facts report)[29]“Hunger-Facts | ICN2 | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,” November 2014. suggests we will likely not be able to feed everyone forever.
There will likely be less waste with grains, nuts, fruits, and vegetables because they can be stored longer before spoilage compared to meat, dairy, and eggs, and refrigeration is less important.[30]This statement seems to be common knowledge, and does not seem to be in dispute.
Claim: As there are starving people, we should put them first over non-human animals.
As we have documented herein, you can feed far more with a plant-based food economy, so this point is moot.
Even if you could not feed more people with plants, it’s possible to care about and act on more than one problem.
Claim: It would be impossible or difficult for people in some cultures to give up animal products because of a lack of alternatives.
This is true, but irrelevant to most of the people reading this.
It would be disingenuous for someone to proclaim that because goat herders in Afghanistan can’t do it, they are not even going to consider it.
Claim: Livestock does not contribute to hunger and starvation because 86% of what cattle eat is not human-edible.
The significance of the claim that 86% of what cattle eat is not fit for human consumption is diminished by the fact that it fails to consider that much of the land used to grow silage and fodder crops (such as corn, barley, and alfalfa) for feed could also be used to grow crops for human consumption.[31]Comparison of Farming in Production of Food Per Acre, Humane Party Analysis using USDA and UN FAO data
To whatever extent it’s true that 86% of what cattle eat is not human-edible,[32]Sacred Cow. “Only a Small % of What Cattle Eat Is Grain. 86% Comes from Materials Humans Don’t Eat.” Sacred Cow. September 10, 2019. that does not change the research showing that with plant-based foods we could feed an additional 3.5 billion globally[33]“The IAASTD Report—Agriculture at a Crossroads.” United Nations Environment Program, 2008. and another 400 million in the US,[34]“U.S. Could Feed 800 Million People with Grain That Livestock Eat, Cornell Ecologist Advises Animal Scientists.” Cornell Chronicle, February 5, 2022. and that livestock are highly inefficient at converting feed into meat.[35]“Creating a Sustainable Food Future: Interim Findings | World Resources Institute, PDF.” December 2, 2013. These studies took this claim into account.
Even if 86% of what cattle eat is not human-edible, this seems less relevant because it takes on average 24 calories of plant feed to produce one calorie of food from animals. (a peer-reviewed study published by the World Resources Institute in 2014, titled “Creating a Sustainable Food Future,”)[36]An average of the figures for various farmed animals from this study on page 37 figure 2: World Resources Institute. “Creating a Sustainable Food Future.” World Resources Institute, 2013-2014
In stating that 86% of what cattle eat is not fit for human consumption,[37]Sacred Cow. “Only a Small % of What Cattle Eat Is Grain. 86% Comes from Materials Humans Don’t Eat.,” September 10, 2019. the 86% figure is based on the weight of the feed, not calories. If calories were the standard of measurement, the figure would be much lower, as stems and leaves in fodder have far fewer calories per pound than grains.[38]Blaxter, K. L. “The Nutritive Value of Feeds as Sources of Energy: A Review.” Journal of Dairy Science 39, no. 10 (October 1, 1956): 1396–1424.
Claim: Grazing, particularly holistic, regenerative grazing, can help with the problem because grazed animals do not require feed.
To whatever extent grazing, compared to other means of feeding cattle, may or may not contribute to less hunger, that does not change the research showing that with plant-based foods we could feed an additional 3.5 billion globally[39]“The IAASTD Report—Agriculture at a Crossroads.” United Nations Environment Program, 2008. and another 400 million in the US,[40]“U.S. Could Feed 800 Million People with Grain That Livestock Eat, Cornell Ecologist Advises Animal Scientists.” Cornell Chronicle, February 5, 2022. and that livestock are highly inefficient at converting feed into meat.[41]“Creating a Sustainable Food Future: Interim Findings | World Resources Institute, PDF.” December 2, 2013. These studies took this claim into account.
Grazed animals are often fed grains even while grazing and then moved to a feedlot to be fed grains for 4 to 6 months of their 18-month[42]“Age of Animals Slaughtered.” Farm Transparency Project, November 11, 2020. existence before being slaughtered.(the North American Meat Institute)[43]“Corn-Fed Versus Grass-Fed Beef Fact Sheet.” North American Meat Institute, January 2015.
We simply don’t have enough land—the US has enough pasture to support only 27% of the current beef production.” (a study by a Harvard Environmental scientist)[44]Hayek, Matthew N, and Rachael D Garrett. “Nationwide Shift to Grass-Fed Beef Requires Larger Cattle Population.” Environmental Research Letters 13, no. 8 (July 25, 2018): 084005.
Supplementary Info
“While Asia currently has the greatest quantity of undernourished (381 million), people, the report showed that the number in Africa is growing fast (250 million), followed by Latin America and the Caribbean (48 million).(United Nations)[45]UN report sends ‘sobering message’ of deeply entrenched hunger globally. UN News. July 13, 2020.
On current trends, by 2030, Africa will be home to more than half of the world’s chronically hungry.”(United Nations)[46]UN report sends ‘sobering message’ of deeply entrenched hunger globally. UN News. July 13, 2020.
Summary
We feed almost 80% of the world’s soy and grains like corn and oats to animals.[47]Food Outlook. United Nations FAO. November 2022[48]Soy, Our World in Data. Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser. 2020[49]The figures for coarse grains and soy in the two citations above were used to calculate a combined percentage of 79.11.
However, research shows that if we feed these crops, or similar ones grown on the same land, directly to humans, we could feed several billion more people.[50]“The IAASTD Report—Agriculture at a Crossroads.” United Nations Environment Program, 2008.
Hence, transitioning towards a plant-based food economy could have significant advantages in terms of feeding the world and mitigating world hunger and starvation.
Further Study
| Type | Title | Source | Description |
|---|---|
| Website A Well-Fed World A Well-Fed World Organization | Provides research and analysis on how “a global shift towards plant-based foods more efficiently uses crops and natural resources to nourish people and cool the climate.” |
| Youtube Video A Solution to World Hunger? Mic the Vegan | “A look at some well documented and major inefficiencies in the global food distribution that are by driven by food choice plus how to fix them.” |
| Article The IAASTD Report—Agriculture at a Crossroads. United Nations Environment Program, 2008 | A multi-discipline report with recommendations for agriculture. |
| Article 10 Facts About Child Hunger in The World UN World Food Program article, 2022 | This article will give you a better understanding of the impacts of hunger on children. |
| Research Article The Opportunity Cost of Animal Based Diets Exceeds All Food Losses.” PNAS, 2018 | This paper explores the opportunity cost of animal agriculture, and as such, indirectly addresses hunger. |
Advocacy Resources
This is a paragraph before a list. Now let’s see how it wraps and it it looks right, if you know what I mean.
- Don’t say that animal agriculture causes hunger but that “veganism promotes a more efficient food system better capable of feeding the world’s starving, hungry, and impoverished” or “the opportunity cost of animal agriculture contributes to hunger.”
- Nested List
- Nested List 2
- Nested again
- When discussing this topic, it’s likely the interlocutor will bring up the first counterclaim addressed on this page—that we already produce enough to feed everyone. So it would be a good idea to familiarize yourself with our suggested response.
Google slides go here
Brainscape flashcard deck to be linked here
Footnotes
References
| ↑1 | “The Value and Importance of Animal Agriculture. Dairy Business Magazine. June 12, 2020. Quote: “Animal agriculture provides milk, meat, fish and eggs at a time when access to safe, nutritious and affordable food is necessary to fend off a potential global hunger crisis…” |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | Lawrence P Reynolds, Meghan C Wulster-Radcliffe, Debra K Aaron, Teresa A Davis, Importance of Animals in Agricultural Sustainability and Food Security, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 145, Issue 7, July 2015, Pages 1377–1379 |
| ↑3, ↑5 | 10 Facts About Child Hunger in The World. UN World Food Program, July 2022 |
| ↑4 | In world of wealth, 9 million people die every year from hunger. UN World Food Program, September 2021 |
| ↑6 | “Hunger-Facts | ICN2 | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,” November 2014. |
| ↑7 | Without Clearing Any New Farmland, We Could Feed Two Earths’ Worth of People, Bloomberg (analysis), December 15, 2020 |
| ↑8 | “6 Causes of World Hunger – Why There Is Global Food Insecurity.” UN World Food Program |
| ↑9 | “The IAASTD Report—Agriculture at a Crossroads.” United Nations Environment Program, 2008. |
| ↑10, ↑28 | Shepon, Alon, Gidon Eshel, Elad Noor, and Ron Milo. “The Opportunity Cost of Animal Based Diets Exceeds All Food Losses.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115, no. 15 (April 10, 2018): 3804–9. |
| ↑11, ↑27, ↑34, ↑40 | “U.S. Could Feed 800 Million People with Grain That Livestock Eat, Cornell Ecologist Advises Animal Scientists.” Cornell Chronicle, February 5, 2022. |
| ↑12, ↑47 | Food Outlook. United Nations FAO. November 2022 |
| ↑13, ↑48 | Soy, Our World in Data. Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser. 2020 |
| ↑14, ↑49 | The figures for coarse grains and soy in the two citations above were used to calculate a combined percentage of 79.11. |
| ↑15 | Jeremy Rifkin. The World’s Problems on a Plate. The Guardian. 2002 |
| ↑16 | Dr. Richard Oppenlander. “Comfortably Unaware :: The World Hunger-Food Choice Connection: A Summary,” April 22, 2012. |
| ↑17 | James Rowe and John Nolan, Energy Requirements of Livestock. The Theory and Practice of Animal Nutrition. 2009 |
| ↑18 | Carrington, Damian, and Damian Carrington Environment editor. “Avoiding Meat and Dairy Is ‘Single Biggest Way’ to Reduce Your Impact on Earth.” The Guardian, May 31, 2018, sec. Environment. |
| ↑19 | Poore, J., and T. Nemecek. “Reducing Food’s Environmental Impacts through Producers and Consumers.” Science 360, no. 6392 (June 2018): 987–92. |
| ↑20, ↑36 | An average of the figures for various farmed animals from this study on page 37 figure 2: World Resources Institute. “Creating a Sustainable Food Future.” World Resources Institute, 2013-2014 |
| ↑21, ↑35, ↑41 | “Creating a Sustainable Food Future: Interim Findings | World Resources Institute, PDF.” December 2, 2013. |
| ↑22 | “Redefining Agricultural Yields: From Tonnes to People Nourished per Hectare – IOPscience,” August 13, 2013. |
| ↑23 | Poore, J. and Nemecek, T. (2018). Options for keeping the food system within environmental limits. Nature, 562(7728), pp. 519-525. |
| ↑24 | Without Clearing Any New Farmland, We Could Feed Two Earths’ Worth of People, Bloomberg (analysis), December 15, 2020 |
| ↑25 | “6 Causes of World Hunger – Why There Is Global Food Insecurity.” UN World Food Program |
| ↑26, ↑33, ↑39, ↑50 | “The IAASTD Report—Agriculture at a Crossroads.” United Nations Environment Program, 2008. |
| ↑29 | “Hunger-Facts | ICN2 | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,” November 2014. |
| ↑30 | This statement seems to be common knowledge, and does not seem to be in dispute. |
| ↑31 | Comparison of Farming in Production of Food Per Acre, Humane Party Analysis using USDA and UN FAO data |
| ↑32 | Sacred Cow. “Only a Small % of What Cattle Eat Is Grain. 86% Comes from Materials Humans Don’t Eat.” Sacred Cow. September 10, 2019. |
| ↑37 | Sacred Cow. “Only a Small % of What Cattle Eat Is Grain. 86% Comes from Materials Humans Don’t Eat.,” September 10, 2019. |
| ↑38 | Blaxter, K. L. “The Nutritive Value of Feeds as Sources of Energy: A Review.” Journal of Dairy Science 39, no. 10 (October 1, 1956): 1396–1424. |
| ↑42 | “Age of Animals Slaughtered.” Farm Transparency Project, November 11, 2020. |
| ↑43 | “Corn-Fed Versus Grass-Fed Beef Fact Sheet.” North American Meat Institute, January 2015. |
| ↑44 | Hayek, Matthew N, and Rachael D Garrett. “Nationwide Shift to Grass-Fed Beef Requires Larger Cattle Population.” Environmental Research Letters 13, no. 8 (July 25, 2018): 084005. |
| ↑45, ↑46 | UN report sends ‘sobering message’ of deeply entrenched hunger globally. UN News. July 13, 2020. |