Livestock production, a much smaller challenge to global food security than often reported

Humans face mounting challenges when it comes to finding ways to sustainably feed an exploding population. As populations become wealthier and more urbanized, the demand for animal products continues to climb. Although supply chain efficiencies improve, livestock are considered a resource drain, requiring a large amount of feed, which could also be used by humans, to produce a relatively small amount of meat. A new study in Global Food Security found that livestock place less burden on the human food supply than previously reported. Even stronger, certain production systems contribute directly to global food security because they produce more highly valuable nutrients for humans, such as proteins, than they consume.