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Essay / Animal Husbandry Contrasted with Alternative Agricultural Methods for the Human Race's Food Sources
Feeding the global human race and finding the best method to do so is a far nobler endeavor than anyone can imagine . Researchers have been torn between defending animal agriculture or even growing crops as 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 the use of alternative methods. This essay will focus on the cost and benefits of animal agriculture worldwide compared to alternative methods, the best method to adopt to feed the human race, how the cost of the preferred option can be reduced along with recommendations and how to communicate them to interested parties. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essay In 2008, the FAO provided statistics showing that around one billion people are malnourished to the extent that they are not cannot access enough calories essential for their survival. This figure has since increased, and the number of people not getting enough food has continued to rise due to certain factors. The United Nations developed some Millennium Development Goals in 2002 aimed at combating hunger and reducing it by half by 2015 (United Nations, 2009). However, the chances of this hope diminish with each passing day. However, with the deterioration of global economies, many people have remained poor, so much so that they cannot afford to buy basic foods such as corn and rice, or even to grow grains in their farm to be able to feed themselves. This led to riots in many parts of the world. The FAO outlook for 2050 shows that production of animal products, including meat and dairy, is expected to more than double. This increase in demand for animal products has mainly been seen 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 was much more significant in 2006, when more than 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 world population and the movement of people to urban centers, making them more dependent on purchasing foods rather than buying them. production, as well as Reliance Street and fast food which are easily available. This growing demand for animal products is being met by the development of industrial livestock operations characterized by large-scale production facilities that are taking on a global scale in regions such as Thailand, Mexico, Brazil, China, Vietnam and India. There has been large-scale production of animal products, with an estimated production of chickens at 67%, eggs at 50%, and pigs raised on factory farms at 42% between 2001 and 2003 (United Nations, 2009). Industrial farming leads to the confinement of millions or hundreds of thousands of animals which allows their natural behavior to be managed. This also helps avoid the production of gigantic quantities of waste spread over large parts of the globe. Confining animals in one area would pollute the air, water andsoil and would exacerbate the emergence of zoonotic diseases and foodborne pathogens such as E. coli as well as avian flu. The animal products industry, however, faces strong competition from poor populations for cereals as well as other cereals that have long been used to feed animals. These grains range from soybeans and corn which are fed to chickens, cattle, pigs as well as other animals used in agriculture. Consumption of these foods allows animals to gain weight very quickly and this allows them to be slaughtered and sold in less time. Using cereals to feed animals is considered a very inefficient way of using food since 3 kg of cereals are required to produce just one kg of meat. Professor Vaclav Smith of the University of Manitoba's environment department says relying on animal protein, which leads to the use of large resources, is not the most efficient way to use available resources. He compiled a report that shows that feeding chickens soy causes them to use only 20% of the protein found in beans, so 80% is wasted. Pigs cause a loss of 90% of lost protein. The energy obtained from animals from grains and other food sources is used for metabolic processes as well as for the formation of cartilages and bones as well as other parts which are never edible and excrement. The United Nations Department of Environmental Program says that reducing global meat consumption to 37.4/kg/capita by 2050 would result in a grain release of more than 400 million tonnes, which is enough capacity to meet the caloric demand of more than a billion people per year. Harper et al., 2009). Water, which is also an essential resource in the production of animal products, is also depleted during the process. The climate changes we are experiencing can endanger water sources. It will take more water to produce animal products than the amount of water needed for plant growth. Research shows that to provide 10 grams of protein, you need more than five times as much water as rice. Producing 500 calories from beef essentially required about five times the amount of water compared to that needed to produce rice and also, the amount of water needed to produce a kg of chicken compared to that necessary to produce the same quantity of rice. More water is also needed for hydrating animals as well as for industrial use for cleaning, cooling animals by spraying or using foggers and even for waste disposal (United Nations, 2009). Therefore, producing animal products on an industrial scale is much more water intensive than pasture-based agriculture. Industrial operations involving eggs and milk have also been found to consume a lot of water. The processing of animal products is also another very water-intensive operation which results in a lot of water waste. It therefore makes no sense, in a world where over a billion people are hungry, to depend on animal products which are a very lavish livelihood choice (Mirle, 2012). To reduce hunger, humans will need to choose the foods they eat over the next 50 years to combat 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 consider betterfood policies due to the threat posed by climate change as well as food-related challenges (Mirle, 2012). Pollan advocated feeding from lower levels of the food chain as well as reducing overreliance on fossil fuels that lead to global warming. Medical and environmental experts advocate for consuming food products because they pose fewer risks than animal products and also lead to better methods of protecting the environment. An article published in the "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition" in 2007 indicated that plant-based diets could play a better role in preserving the environment as well as combating malnutrition in poorer states. The vegetable-based diets and vegan diets mentioned in the article would have less impact on the environment and water sources than the diet based on chicken, beef and eggs. Another Lancet review from the same year recommended reducing meat consumption by up to 90 g/day, which can be compared to the size of a chicken breast, which is essential to curb the effect of greenhouse resulting from industrial livestock farming. The review also stated that this reduction could lead to a reduction in cardiovascular complexities, obesity and certain types of cancer. The chairman of the Nobel Prize-winning Panel on Environmental Protection also urges people to drive less, shop less and eat less meat, which helps combat climate change. He states that it is essential to use more sustainable forms of energy in agriculture and travel because they create more jobs and good health (Harper et al., 2009). It is also essential to venture into innovation that allows people to find better substitutes for traditional animal products, thereby intensifying the fight against climate change. Better and sustainable forms of protein have been discovered at the University of Vrije, which include highly nutritious and less expensive legumes. It also paves the way for how consumers can learn more 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. In the United States, researchers are also working on methods of producing animal tissues using modern tissue engineering techniques. This would make it possible to produce products that smell, look and taste like meat without necessarily raising animals and obtaining these products from them. The meat here known as in vitro meat will have a higher nutritional value than the animals raised. The ethical problems linked to production and consumption are very numerous compared to those of plants. For example, Muslims have problems with eating pork, 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 deplete livestock using grain. Several scientists blame economic changes in developing countries that have led to an increase in demand for animal products. Although this seems to be a problem, Western countries have not reduced their rate of consumption of animal products (Harper et al., 2009). Additionally, using land to grow animal feed has proven to be far more inefficient than using the same land to produce crops for..