10/19/23 Animal Farming Uses Enormous Amounts of Water and Other Resources
The theme of the 2023 World Food Day is “Water is life, water is food.”
- Revealing shocking data, Animal Friends Croatia warn of causes of water and food shortage
On October 16, the World Food Day is celebrated to raise global awareness and promote action for those who suffer from hunger. The theme and motto this year is “Life is water, water is food. Leave no one behind.” It was chosen to emphasise the crucial role water plays for life on Earth and as the basis of our food production. Furthermore, the World Food Day aims at raising global awareness on the importance of smart water management as fast population growth, economic development, urbanisation, and climate change affect water availability.
Accordingly, Animal Friends Croatia point out that animal food production requires considerably more water than plant food production, with the latter polluting water resources to a much lesser degree. They state that, although half a billion people around the globe are faced with serious water shortages all throughout the year, precious water resources are wasted due to animal farming for food, thus making it inefficient and unsustainable. Changing dietary habits and turning to vegan food production could significantly contribute to water preservation and reduction of poverty around the world.
Agriculture and livestock farming are the biggest water consumers and the main reason behind the water crisis. They account for 70% of world freshwater usage, households for 10%, while industry accounts for 20%. According to research data by World Wide Fund for Nature, it takes 15,500 litres of water to produce one kilo of beef. Human population drinks 5.2 billion gallons of water every day and consumes 8 billion kilos of food. On the other hand, 1.5 billion cows worldwide drink 45 billion gallons of water every day and eat 50 billion kilos of food. This is no longer an issue of growing population, but a meat-eating problem!
In addition to water consumption, water pollution caused by nitrates and phosphorus from manure, as well as usage of vast amounts of antibiotics on animal farms, present a severe problem caused by meat industry. Water shortage has already reached a critical stage in many parts of the world. It is expected that water demand will surpass water supply by 40% in the next 20 years.
“It is imperative that we change our dietary habits and turn to plants to save substantial amounts of water and help solve the global hunger problem. The only sustainable diet and the diet of the future is the one based on plant-based ingredients,” state Animal Friends Croatia.
At this moment, we would be able to produce more than a sufficient amount of food for every person on our planet. And yet, many people remain hungry and die of starvation because farming over 90 billion animals a year uses enormous natural resources, causing immense pollution of the environment and being the driving force of global warming.
There would be enough food for everyone, and we would all be healthier, if only we changed our dietary habits. Thus, on the World Food Day, Animal Friends Croatia invite Croatian citizens to learn about food production and water consumption, and to choose vegan.
For more information on World Food Day and sustainable living, visit Veganopolis for the Veggie challenge, a free service to help you transition to a plant-based diet.
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