The Future of Livestock: Feeding the World Sustainably and Humanely

Abstract

Feeding the growing population in the Asia-Pacific Region and elsewhere is a vital aspect of sustainability. Livestock play a central role in global diets and require a considerable amount of resources. The World Society for the Protection of Animals co-funded a research to analyse this role. Livestock is important in food security, both directly and indirectly (through income, employment and manure for crop production). The effect of grain-based intensification is equivocal. It allows for increased production in smaller land areas and cheaper products that could benefit the urban poor. However, it may result in land use conflicts and exclude smallholders from markets. By using grain and land that could otherwise feed people directly, it reduces the resource base, as livestock in less intensive systems can convert inedible grass and crop residues into edible resources. It is also associated with instances of poor animal welfare. Analysis of scenarios for 2050 using the biomass balance model found that feeding more grains to livestock will strongly increase cropland demand, with a potential to trigger competition. The quantity and quality of the human diet are important, but the common assumption that this requires large amounts of animal protein is misplaced: diets with a lower share of animal products keep the option space open in terms of land use for other purposes such as biodiversity conservation. It is possible to feed the world balanced and equitable diets in 2050, while providing for animal welfare and addressing other aspects of sustainability.