New research suggests that biorefineries producing plant-based protein and sugars from crops such as alfalfa and red clover could help meet global food needs during a major food crisis.
A new study published in Sustainable Production and Consumption has highlighted the enormous potential of turning leafy biomass into food for humans, offering an alternative to the conventional livestock-based food system.
The research, funded by the Alliance to Feed the Earth in Disasters (ALLFED), used crop modelling to explore how integrated biorefineries could produce leaf protein concentrate (LPC), sugars and single-cell protein (SCP) from leafy plants.
The process involves pressing plants such as alfalfa to extract their juice, which can then be processed into protein-rich food ingredients. Other parts of the biomass can also be used to produce sugars and additional food resources.
A new use for grasslands
The researchers suggest that grasslands currently used for grazing cattle or producing animal feed could have far greater potential for direct human food production.
Many of these areas are unsuitable for growing conventional food crops, but forage plants can thrive in conditions where other crops struggle. Although humans cannot digest these plants as ruminants do, biorefinery technology offers a way to extract valuable nutrients for human consumption.
The study estimates that, in a severe food crisis, expanding this approach could make a substantial contribution to meeting global nutritional needs. However, achieving this scale would require a major increase in production, with global alfalfa output needing to rise by approximately 1,100% to meet the modelled food requirements.
Moving beyond livestock farming
For the Vegan Organic Network, this research raises an important question: what if we grew more plants for people to eat directly, rather than using so much land and so many crops to feed farmed animals?
Livestock production relies heavily on land, feed and other resources. Developing ways to turn leafy plants into nutritious human food could help diversify our food supply, reduce dependence on animal agriculture and improve resilience in the face of global food emergencies.
It is important to recognise that industrial biorefineries are not a complete solution to food insecurity. Infrastructure, energy requirements, processing costs, nutritional quality and the environmental impacts of scaling up production all need careful consideration. The study presents a potential emergency food strategy, not a guarantee that global hunger could be eliminated within two years.
Nevertheless, the research demonstrates the value of exploring innovative ways to produce food directly from plants.
Growing a plant-based future
Veganic farming and growing share the underlying principle that we can produce food without exploiting farmed animals or relying on animal-derived fertilisers such as manure, blood and bone.
By combining plant-based food production with healthy soils, biodiversity, crop diversity and efficient use of resources, we can work towards a food system that is better for people, animals and the planet.
Turning leafy biomass into food is one promising avenue for research. The wider challenge is to build resilient food systems that prioritise feeding people directly, protect the natural world and reduce our dependence on livestock.
A more plant-based food system is not just about what we eat. It is also about how we grow our food and how we use the land available to us.
Read the research in Sustainable Production and Consumption: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352550926000266