Beef: Environment - Land Use
Expanded Croplands
Deforestation is happening not just for the purpose of expanding pastureland, but also for the purpose of expanding croplands to grow additional feed. As discussed in the section regarding the diet of beef cows, the majority of the corn grown in the U.S. is used to feed livestock, not humans. This is true for corn grown abroad, as well as soy.1 As the beef industry is expected to double by 20502 the expansion of croplands is expected to grow exponentially in order to keep up, in addition to the expansion required to feed a growing human population.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization predicts that in the not-distant future, cropland will surpass pastureland as a source of deforestation, particularly in parts of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where demand for cereal grains is growing. Croplands are also easier to manipulate with irrigation and wind protection systems than pastures—and therefore easier to establish in marginal areas.3 At the same time, these arid regions will be particularly affected by changes in water cycles and rainfall—changes that will occur in part because of the very climate change resulting from deforestation, creating an ever-accelerating negative feedback loop.
Footnotes