Beef: Environment - Land Use
Conclusion
To continue growing the majority of our grains for the purpose of feeding livestock is unsustainable for many reasons. Similar to what will be discussed in the next section concerning water, it takes 2.47 acres to produce enough beef to feed one person for one year, while the same amount of land produces enough potatoes to feed 22 people.1
Correspondingly, the Cornell study led by Christian Peters analyzing land use by diet found that, “A person following a low-fat vegetarian diet . . . will need less than half (0.44) an acre per person per year to produce their food. A high-fat diet with a lot of meat, on the other hand, needs 2.11 acres.”2 However, Peters also found that a high-fat vegetarian or vegan diet, consisting of significant amounts of grown oils (e.g., corn or soy) is more land-intensive than a diet that consists of a low-fat diet that includes a limited amount of beef.3 This finding illustrates the importance of considering all the types of food that make up your diet, rather than simply cutting out individual categories. We hope that Cater to the Earth will help you in finding a more eco-conscious diet.
Learn about water concerns and the beef industry.
Footnotes
2. Susan Lang. “Diet for Small Planet May Be More Efficient If It Includes Dairy and A Little Meat, Cornell Researchers Report.” Cornell University Chronicle Online. 4 Oct 2007.