Feeding the global human race and finding the best method to do so is a far more noble undertaking than anyone can imagine. Researchers are undecided whether to support animal agriculture or even crop growth, which is the alternative. It has been argued that if the effects of animal agriculture on the environment, economy, human health and ethical values are managed, it can lead to major changes that can make it more superior to reliance on alternative methods. This essay will focus on the costs and benefits of animal agriculture around the world compared to alternative methods, the best method to adopt as a means of feeding the human race, how to reduce the cost of the preferred option, as well as recommendations and how to communicate them to interested parties. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The FAO in 2008 provided statistics showing that approximately 1 billion people are malnourished as they are unable to access enough calories for survival. This figure has since increased and the number of people who do not receive enough food has continued to increase due to some factors. The United Nations developed some Millennium Development Goals in 2002 with the aim of fighting hunger and reducing it by half by 2015 (United Nations, 2009). However, the possibilities of this hope diminish with each passing day. However, as global economies have deteriorated, many people have remained poor to the point where they cannot afford to purchase staples such as corn and rice or even afford the grains to grow on their farms in order to afford food. This led to the outbreak of riots in many parts of the world. FAO's outlook for 2050 shows that animal products, including meat and dairy, would more than double. This increase in demand for animal products has been noted especially in developing countries since 1995, when for the first time developed countries produced more dairy and meat products than developed countries (United Nations, 2009) . This trend became much more significant in 2006, when over 60% of these products were manufactured in developed countries. This has also led to an increase in the consumption of the same products due to the increase in the world population and the movement of people towards urban centers which have made them dependent more on the purchase of food rather than on production, as well as Reliance Street and fast foods that are easily available. This growing demand for animal products is being met by the development of industrial animal production operations featuring large-scale production facilities that are taking on a global reach in areas such as Thailand, Mexico, Brazil, China, Vietnam and India. Large-scale production of animal products occurred between the years 2001-2003, with an estimated 67% of chicken produced, 50% eggs, and swine raised through industrial animal operations at 42% between the years 2001 -2003 (United Nations, 2009). Industrial animal farming leads to the confinement of millions or hundreds of thousands of animals that allow their natural behavior to be managed. It also allows us to prevent the production of enormous quantities of waste spread across much of the globe. Confining animals to one area is believed to pollute air, water and soil, as well as exacerbating the emergence of zoonotic diseases and foodborne pathogens such as E. coli and influenzaavian. However, the animal products industry finds itself facing stiff competition from the poor for cereals and other cereals that have long been used for animal feed. These grains range from soybeans and corn which are used to feed chickens, cattle, pigs and other animals used in agriculture. The consumption of these feeds allows the animals to gain weight very quickly and this allows them to be slaughtered and sold in less time. Using grains to feed animals is considered a very inefficient way of using food as 3kg of grains are needed to produce just one kg of meat. Professor Vaclav Smith of the University of Manitoba's Department of Environment says that depending on animal proteins, which involves using a lot of resources, is not the most efficient way to use available resources. He compiled a report showing that feeding chickens soybeans causes them to use only 20% of the protein found in the beans, so 80% goes to waste. Pigs lead to a loss of 90% of lost protein. The energy obtained by animals from cereals and other food sources is used for metabolic processes as well as in the formation of cartilage and bones as well as other inedible parts and feces. The United Nations Environment Program Department says that reducing global meat consumption to 37.4/kg/capita by 2050 would free up more than 400 million tons of grain, enough to meet calorie demand. by more than 1 billion people per year ( Harper et al., 2009 ). Water, which is also an essential resource in the production of animal products, is also used up in the process. The climate changes experienced can jeopardize water resources. More water will be needed to produce animal products than the amount of water needed to grow plants. Research shows that providing 10 grams of protein requires more than five times as much water as rice. Producing 500 calories from beef essentially requires about five times the amount of water than is needed to produce rice and also several times the amount of water needed to produce one kilogram of chicken than is needed to produce the same amount of rice. More water is also needed for animal hydration, as well as for industrial use for cleaning, cooling animals by spraying or using foggers, and even for waste disposal (United Nations, 2009). Therefore the production of industrial-scale animal products requires much more water than pasture-based agriculture. It has also been noted that industrial operations involving eggs and milk consume a lot of water. Processing animal products is also another water-intensive operation that leads to large water waste. It is therefore senseless, in a world where over a billion people suffer from hunger, to depend on animal products which represent a very generous livelihood choice (Mirle, 2012). To alleviate hunger, humans will need to make choices about the food they consume over the next 50 years to fight climate change and protect their health. In 2008, Michael Pollan published an open letter to the next president of the United States asking him to think about better food policies due to the threat posed by climate change and the challenges posed by food (Mirle, 2012). Pollan advocated for feeding lower levels of the food chain and reducing excessive dependence on fossil fuels that lead to global warming. Both medical and environmental expertsthey support the consumption of food products as they carry fewer risks than animal products and also lead to better ways of environmental protection. An article that appeared in the “European Journal of Clinical Nutrition” in 2007 stated that a plant-based diet could play a better role in preserving the environment and curbing malnutrition in poorer states. The plant-based and vegan diets in the article are said to have less impact on the environment and water sources than the chicken, beef and egg-based diet. Another Lancet paper in the same year advocated reducing meat consumption to 90g per day, which can be compared to the size of a chicken's breast, essential to curb the greenhouse effect resulting from industrial farming. The journal further stated that such a reduction could lead to the reduction of cardiovascular complexities, obesity and some types of cancer. The president of the “Nobel Prize-winning Group on the Environment” also urges people to drive less, shop less and eat less meat, which enables the fight to combat climate change. It states that it is essential to use more sustainable forms of energy in agriculture and travel as it provides more jobs and good health (Harper et al., 2009). It is also essential to venture into innovation that enables people to find better substitutes for traditional animal products, thus intensifying the fight against climate change. Better and sustainable forms of protein have been discovered at the University of Vrije, including highly nutritious and less expensive legumes. This also paves the way for consumers to learn about the ecological and ethical impacts of meat, egg and milk production (Harper et al., 2009). This has increased the popularity of plant-based alternatives. Researchers in the United States are also working on methods of producing animal tissue using modern tissue engineering techniques. This would allow the production of products that smell, look and taste like meat without necessarily raising animals and obtaining these products from them. The meat known here in vitro will have a higher nutritional value than that of farmed animals. The ethical issues that arise with production and consumption are many compared to those of plants, for example, Muslims have problems with consuming pigs, yet pigs are easy to rare and an easy source of protein (Mirle, 2012). Therefore, due to the scarcity of land and food in the world, it is very inefficient to raise livestock using grains. Several scientists blame changes in the economy of developing countries that have led to increased demand for animal products. As much as this seems like a problem, even Western countries have not reduced the share of consumption of animal products (Harper et al., 2009). Furthermore, using land to grow animal feed has proven to be much more inefficient than using the same land to produce crops for human consumption. Furthermore, much water is wasted in animal husbandry compared to plant growth. Animals lead to more climate change than plants, and their products have many more health problems for humans than plants, without considering the many ethical issues surrounding animal products compared to plants. Therefore, dependence on plants for food as an alternative to animal products is better than imagining improving the animal sector as well since the same demerits will continue to exist (Mirle, 2012). You can reduce the cost of growing crops by participating in large-scale agriculture, lowering the cost of seeds,.
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