According to new research published in the Los Angeles Times, we could feed
all 327 million Americans, plus 390 million more people, simply by going vegan.
The USDA found that more than 41
million Americans risk going hungry at some point during the year, but this
doesn’t have to be. A report published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences concluded that if U.S. farmers took all the land currently used to
raise animals for food and instead used it to grow plants, we could sustain
more than twice as many people as we do now.
Researchers determined that if the land required to produce
animal products were used for a “nutritionally equivalent combination of
potatoes, peanuts, soybeans, and other edible plants, the total food available
would increase by 120 percent.
Additionally, researchers noted that by going vegan the
country would be in better health, greatly reduce medical costs, and drastically
lower greenhouse gas emissions.
But this isn’t the first time veganism has been suggested to
combat hunger.
A 2015 Huffington Post piece reports
that UN officials believe going plant-based could alleviate world hunger:
Today half the world’s agricultural land is used for livestock farming, which is far less efficient for feeding people—and worse for the environment—than producing grain, fruit and vegetables for direct human consumption.
Raising animals for food, including land for grazing and
growing feed crops, currently uses over one-third of the earth’s landmass. Imagine if this space were used to
grow edible plants! To put it simply, we could help not only the billions of animals killed each year for
food but the 815 million people who do not have enough
to eat.
Cows, pigs, chickens, and fish raised and killed for food
are subjected to unthinkable cruelties: tiny, filthy cages; horrific
mutilations; and bloody, violent slaughter.
Sounds terrible, right? Watch.
By choosing a compassionate vegan diet you can help end
world hunger and spare animals a lifetime of misery.
So what are you waiting for? Click here to get started. And check out
our Pinterest page for thousands of recipe ideas!