EVU-talks 2007: 'The veggie answer to world hunger'

1. EVU-talks 2007: 'The veggie answer to world hunger' Presentation from Renato Pichler

2. 1. General Tendency of global population Some 76 million people are added to the world’s population every year. Worlds population in 1000 persons The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) estimates that to meet the needs of the world’s population in 2020, food production will have to double.

3. Tendency of global grain/rice crops 2030 The net cereal deficits of developing countries could rise to 265 million tonnes. (FAO)‏

4. Tendency of consumption of global meat Between 1964-66 and 1997-99, per capita meat consumption in developing countries rose by 150 percent, and that of milk and dairy products by 60 percent. By 2030, per capita consumption of livestock products could rise by a further 44 percent.

5. 2. Problems with the fabrication of animal products

6. Extension of the food chain 7–16 kg of grain or soya beans are needed to produce 1 kg of meat. This can easily be defined as one of the most effective ways to waste foodstuffs. The artificial extension of the food chain due to the transformation of grain into meat causes a huge loss of nutrients, including 90% protein, 99% carbohydrates and 100% fibre, among other things. In addition to this, only a small portion of the body of a slaughtered animal consists of meat – 35% of the weight of a cow or 39% of a calf (excluding bones). 10 kg cereals 1 kg bodyweight 450 g meat

7. Production of feed In order to meet the world-wide demand for meat, enormous monoculture are needed for the production of feed. It is also in this industry where genetic engineering is employed at the most important scope. Pesticides and herbicides are also used in large quantities. In the USA, 8 billion slaughter animals eat their way through 80% of the grain harvest. 90% of the world’s soya beans serve as animal fodder. In total, approximately half of the grain produced worldwide is fed to animals so that their meat can be eaten. In 1950, 170 kg of grain per head was adequate to nourish the population of Taiwan. By 1990, meat and egg consumption had multiplied sixfold. The grain requirement per head has increased to 390 kg due to this extension of the food chain. Despite steadily increasing harvests, Taiwan can only meet this rising demand through imports. While Taiwan was a grain exporter in 1950, in 1990 it had to import 74% of the quantity needed, mostly in the form of fodder.

8. Requirement of land for animals

9. Water consumption One could shower every day for a year with the same amount of water needed to produce 1 kilo of meat.

10. Global warming Press release from the United Nations on 29 November 2006: According to a new report published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the livestock sector generates more greenhouse gas emissions as measured in CO2 equivalent – 18 percent – than transport. It is also a major source of land and water degradation. From the website of the European Union: «Eat your veg! Producing meat is both CO2 and methane-intensive and requires large amounts of water. In fact, ruminant animals such as cattle, sheep and goats are large producers of methane due to the way that their digestive systems process food.»

11. Global warming 2 The connection between global warming and world hunger: Asia: Rising global temperatures could cause food shortages affecting 130 million people across Asia by 2050 Africa: Wheat, a staple in Africa, may disappear from the continent by the 2080s Bangladesh: rice production may fall by just under 10 percent and wheat by a third by the year 2050 Latin America: Farmers will have to abandon traditional crops such as corn, rice, wheat and sugar as their soil becomes increasingly saline.

12. 3. Political initiatives

13. FAO strategy FAO statement for solving the hunger-problem: «Productivity improvements are likely to be a major source of growth. Milk yields should improve, while breeding and improved management will increase average carcass weights and off-take rates.» «Major political and technical corrections need to be taken to address the environmental impact of livestock production that will otherwise worsen dramatically, given the projected expansion of the livestock sector.»

14. UN strategy From their document «Halving hunger: it can be done» (UN Millenium-Project): «The protein and micronutrients contained in milk, eggs, and meat are especially needed by the most severely affected food-insecure groups – women and children in poor households.» «Increase livestock production in food-insecure communities to expand access to milk, eggs, and meat and raise incomes. Assist in establishing small-scale intensive production systems for dairy products, eggs, and poultry. Promote small-scale aquaculture to provide low-cost fish for food-insecure communities.»

15. 4. The solution

16. Can vegetarianism help? • Reducing the food chain • More food for humans • More land for human nutrition • Water saving • Better climate by reducing the production of methan and other gases