Raising animals for meat, milk, and eggs has been a invaluable a part of the worldwide agricultural panorama for millennia because it gives communities with a major supply of vitamin, underpins many cultural identities, and helps the livelihoods of greater than a billion people¹ who work to supply these meals globally. Today, meat manufacturing happens all world wide and is anticipated to extend by greater than 70% by 2050.²
But hardly ever can we take into consideration the advanced relationship between animals and their meals. The feed components used to make sure a nutritious diet and life for agricultural animals come from numerous growers however solely a small variety of crops: maize (corn), soybeans, wheat, alfalfa, and rice. Unfortunately, rising these crops comes with a major environmental cost, accounting for 11% of worldwide greenhouse fuel emissions, 12% of worldwide freshwater consumption, and 65% of global land-use change between 1961 and 2011. At the same time, certain production practices—such as well-managed grazing of cattle on grasslands, the use of cover crops to build soil health, or the addition of certain ingredients in a cow’s feed to reduce the amount of methane emitted through belching—can provide important opportunities to conserve nature, mitigate climate change, and boost livelihoods.
Balancing livelihoods with environmental protection requires collaboration. To address some of the impacts of feed production, WWF partnered with the Institute for Feed Education and Research in 2022 to convene the first-ever Feed Systems Sustainability Summit with the goal of elevating feed and animal nutrition as a critical lever in achieving sustainable food systems. The summit called for stronger value-chain collaboration to advance feed systems solutions.
As a follow-up, WWF published Solutions to Meet the Need for Feed to assist organizations trying to combine feed programs into their sustainability journeys. The paper presents 4 transformative options that may affect the panorama of sustainable agriculture:
- Responsible sourcing makes use of new know-how to enhance collaboration amongst growers and producers to scale back the affect of feed on the setting
- Regenerative agriculture modifications farming and grazing practices in order that they’re higher for folks and the planet by defending vegetation and animals, utilizing water correctly, and protecting the soil wholesome, all whereas supporting native farmers and communities
- Using round components which are already available to feed animals, like meals waste from eating places and cafeterias, as a substitute of placing extra strain on land and waste websites to develop extra components.
- Finally investing in feed improvements might imply making modifications in what we feed animals, like swapping alfalfa for seaweed flakes, and the way we care for them.
The objective is for folks in provide chains, communities, firms, and past to study these options and implement them of their work. There are a number of necessary steps to make use of these building blocks for reworking livestock manufacturing.
First, we have to elevate the importance of animal feed manufacturing in meals programs, recognizing it because the linchpin that helps sustainable livestock programs. This means guaranteeing that we’re clear about and conscious of the place animal feed comes from and the way sustainable it’s. Second, we want our provide chains and markets to advertise sustainability, openness, and collaboration. Third, we should assist modern applied sciences and concepts to guard nature, animal well being, and productiveness—all whereas protecting processes financially viable. Fourth, we want insurance policies that encourage sustainable feed manufacturing, dependable information programs, and clear requirements. And lastly, we must always share what we be taught and what works greatest. This will pace up progress throughout the entire trade.
In a world the place meat, dairy, and eggs maintain generations of custom, embracing the complexities of animal agriculture and its environmental affect is essential. By doing this stuff collectively, we’re taking huge steps towards a greater and extra sustainable future in farming.
