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jabalimuni
09 March 2011, 12:14 AM
If all in the world become vegetarians would there be sufficient food available on the earth?

Eastern Mind
09 March 2011, 07:17 AM
Vannakkam jabalimuni:

Wecome to HDF. Absolutely! The American midwest is just one example. There the common crop is corn for feedlots. Besides that, there is a ton of pastureland for grazing in places like Brazil that could be adopted to dryland crops for human food. A conservative estimate would say it would double the food on the planet. Conversion of sunlight and water into protein via meat is a totally inefficient method. Soy and lentils are far more efficient. Of course the meat industry has huge lobbyists all over.

Aum Namasivaya

flabber
09 March 2011, 10:24 AM
one of the major reason for cost rise of food grains is because tremendous amounts are used to feed the livestock cattle etc. see the documentry 'HOME' to know how we are spoiling our planet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU

Adhvagat
09 March 2011, 11:15 AM
Prabhupada used to say that if for only one day no cows were slaughtered the human race would see astounding progresses quickly.

I can't even imagine the astral and karmic negative influences the slaughter of millions of innocent animals generate everyday.

pineblossom
09 March 2011, 04:24 PM
If all in the world become vegetarians would there be sufficient food available on the earth?

Yes - and we would stop the odd (?) million ton of methane being produced every day from cattle.

As has been point out, most of the crop production gets emptied into feedlots to produce 'marbled' meat for Westerners who think that expense equals quality.

sunyata07
11 March 2011, 12:26 PM
Namaste,

Life on Earth as we know it could not exist were it not for vegetation. Plants are the only life-form able to harness energy from the life-giving sun. Generously do they pass this energy onto beings that feed on them, fertilising the ground and regenerating their life cycle. Animals, on the other hand, cannot produce their own energy. Primary consumers (herbivores) also give energy to beings that consume them, but only a fraction of this energy is passed along as it comes through a secondary source.

Rather, your question should be: is there sufficient meat for all the human race? And with our ever-growing population, I think we all know what the answer to that is.

Om namah Shivaya

Eastern Mind
11 March 2011, 01:05 PM
Vannakkam: We're not as bad off as some people suggest. This from wikipedia:

Main articles: Malnutrition (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malnutrition) and Hunger (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunger)
According to estimates by the FAO (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FAO) there were 925 million under- or malnourished people in the world in 2010.[6] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starvation#cite_note-5) This was a decrease from an estimate of 1023 million malnourished people in 2009.[7] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starvation#cite_note-state2010-6) In 2007, 923 million people were reported as being undernourished, an increase of 80 million since 1990-92.[8] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starvation#cite_note-7) It has also been recorded that the world already produces enough food to support the world's population.
As the definitions of starving and malnourished people are different, the number of starving people is different from that of malnourished. Generally, much fewer people are starving, than are malnourished. The numbers here may provide some indication, but should not be quoted as a number of starving people.
The share of malnourished and of starving people in the world has been more or less continually decreasing for at least several centuries.[9] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starvation#cite_note-8) This is due to an increasing supply of food (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food) and to overall gains in economic efficiency (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_efficiency). In 40 years, the share of malnourished people in the developing world has been more than halved. The share of starving people has decreased even faster. This improvement is expected to continue in the future.


Certainly much malnutrition has more to do with distribution of wealth (and as a result, food) than overpopulation on the planet.


Changing diets and going away from meat could probably allow for a tripling of the world's population, it is just that inefficient.



Aum Namasivaya

Odion
12 March 2011, 04:24 PM
As has been said, absolutely. We would cope far better, I'd imagine.


Yes - and we would stop the odd (?) million ton of methane being produced every day from cattle.
That's very true. I'm concerned about how some people think they are doing good by eating meat because of the whole methane thing. Someone told me a few months back, "but we need to eat the cows, because they are causing global warming. If we don't eat them, we'll be overrun with them."

I didn't know whether to laugh or facepalm. Still don't. I am however concerned about how many might hold such a silly idea.

Eastern Mind
12 March 2011, 05:48 PM
As has been said, absolutely. We would cope far better, I'd imagine.


That's very true. I'm concerned about how some people think they are doing good by eating meat because of the whole methane thing. Someone told me a few months back, "but we need to eat the cows, because they are causing global warming. If we don't eat them, we'll be overrun with them."

I didn't know whether to laugh or facepalm. Still don't. I am however concerned about how many might hold such a silly idea.

Vannakkam Odion: About as silly as "You need meat to live." Shall we start a thread titled, 'Silly things Meat eaters say.'

Oh yeah, here's one I heard the other day.. "Global warming is caused by Daylight Savings Time. That extra hour of sunlight just helps warm the planet. if we went back to the old way, the earth's temperaure would go back down."

Aum Namasivaya

Odion
13 March 2011, 03:54 AM
Lol! That's.. that's.. well, silly. What did you say to that?

I made a thread for it, let's have some fun. :D
Silly things meat eaters say (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?p=60290)

RVR
06 August 2011, 04:22 AM
Vegetarianism promotes green movement.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism

Dr R K Pachauri, Nobel laureate says vegetarianism is key for survival of our plannet.

http://www.rotaryclubofbombay.org/Article.aspx?articleid=39b89d99-6515-4852-98bd-6526aa43102f

Ramakrishna
06 August 2011, 06:37 PM
Namaste RVR,


Vegetarianism promotes green movement.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism

Dr R K Pachauri, Nobel laureate says vegetarianism is key for survival of our plannet.

http://www.rotaryclubofbombay.org/Article.aspx?articleid=39b89d99-6515-4852-98bd-6526aa43102f

Definitely. One of the best ways of "going green" is to get rid of or at least cut back on meat consumption. It is just wrong in so many ways.

Jai Sri Ram

Eastern Mind
06 August 2011, 06:47 PM
Vannakkam: Back in my college days, we had an economics professor that demonstrated how this planet could support 30 times the current population, if only land was more properly used. Vegetarianism was one of the changes. Building up (as in high rises) , and definitely not on agricultural land, was another. Extensive back yard gardening was a third. Changing the types of crops was there too. In Peru, they have developed a bread replacement using potato flour. I can't imaging the inefficiency of wheat compared to potatoes. Things like quinoa and chick peas must have ridiculously high protein to acre ratios. His main point was we're just too dumb to figure it all out, and that the real problem in food production is based on economy. Things like growing one export crop (coffee and cane were the worst offenders) while letting your own people starve are just plain stupid.

Not sure if I agreed with the numbers the good professor alluded to, but he made some very strong points.

In Hawaii and elsewhere, there is much non used but arable land from former sugar plantations. Hawaii actually imports bananas from Panama. Its just plain silly.

Aum Namasivaya

nitinsharma
07 August 2011, 03:31 AM
We can always turn to eugenics.....just in case.