WWF works to sustain the natural world for the benefit of people and wildlife, collaborating with partners from local to global levels in nearly 100 countries.
Raising animals for meat, milk, and eggs has been a part of the global agricultural landscape for millennia for many reasons—from nutrition to cultural identity to people's livelihoods. Meat production is expected to increase by how much by 2050?
Raising animals for meat, milk, and eggs has been a valuable part of the global agricultural landscape for millennia as it provides communities with a significant source of nutrition, underpins many cultural identities, and supports the livelihoods of many millions of people who work to provide these foods globally.
The feed ingredients used to ensure a healthy diet and life for agricultural animals come from a large number of growers but only a small number of crops: maize (corn), soybeans, wheat, alfalfa, and rice.
Unfortunately, growing these crops comes with a significant environmental cost, accounting for 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions, 12% of global freshwater consumption, and 65% of global land-use change between 1961 and 2011. At the same time, certain production practices—such as well-managed grazing of cattle on grasslands, the use of cover crops to build soil health, or the addition of certain ingredients in a cow’s feed to reduce the amount of methane emitted through belching—can provide important opportunities to conserve nature, mitigate climate change, and boost livelihoods.
