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147 comments on Can sustainable farming feed the world?

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Leanan on March 21, 2006 - 4:47pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
The beef industry says it's only 450 gallons, or something like that.  I suspect the truth is somewhere in between.  And a lot of that water is to grow corn.  If we don't feed them corn, that water use goes away.

Irrigation takes a lot of energy.  The point of sustainable agriculture is to grow what grows naturally in your area, not to build more oil-powered irrigation systems.

Animals are pretty much the worst way to "store energy", over 90% of the caloric value is lost as grains are turned into meat.

OTOH, you don't have to feed them grain at all.  You can't eat grass.  The cow can.  

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UbikValis2 on March 21, 2006 - 4:53pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
We are already using 56% of the water in the country to feed cattle in one form or another.

I'm just saying is that using meat to feed people is inefficient compared to using the same resources to grow vegetables, grains and fruits.

Whether or not it is possible to convert over all cattle ranching activities into ordinary farms is another question.

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Leanan on March 21, 2006 - 4:58pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
It depends on the climate.  Inuit lived on a diet composed almost entirely of meat for thousands of years.  It was a more sustainable choice than farming.  (Though if the climate keeps warming, that may change.)  
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UbikValis2 on March 21, 2006 - 5:19pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
What do a small number of people (40,000) living close to the Arctic circle have to do with sustainability of the methods used to feed 300 million Americans?
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Leanan on March 21, 2006 - 5:57pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
The question is "Can sustainable agriculture feed the world," is it not?
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TechGuy on March 22, 2006 - 7:38pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
>The beef industry says it's only 450 gallons, or something like that.  I suspect the truth is somewhere in between.  And a lot of that water is to grow corn.  If we don't feed them corn, that water use goes away.

I agree. I have a suspecion that the statistics on water use is tainted by groups prompting animal rights or a vegetarian diet.

>OTOH, you don't have to feed them grain at all.  You can't eat grass.  The cow can

Most of the the feedstock that animals can consume is Legumes which don't require fertializer input like corn and wheat. Currently surplus corn and wheat is feed to animals because its available, and it bulks up the animals quicker.

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147 comments on Can sustainable farming feed the world?

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