Rethinking Food and Agriculture

We had a couple of technical hiccups with the Laila Kassam interview the other day so here is the edited version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeamkOT_Cyc

Tony Martin interviews Dr Laila Kassam (Animal Think Tank) about her new book Rethinking Food and Agriculture which she co-authored with Professor Amir Kassam (University of Reading). 

The book highlights the urgent need to ‘rethink’ the food and agriculture system and highlights ‘new ways forward’, including alternative paradigms of agriculture, human nutrition and political economy that are more ethical, sustainable and just. Contributors include Robert Chambers, David Jenkins, Tony Juniper, Dr. Shireen Kassam, David Montgomery, Vandana Shiva and many others. It’s a wonderful contribution to the science and philosophy supporting the urgent need to transition to a non-violent vegan food system and restore a right relationship with ourselves, other species and nature.

There will be a question and answer session at the end of the show, please send your questions to events@veganorganic.net or you can ask your question on the night in the comments section on Facebook or youtube during the show.
Full book review.

Dr Colleen Mcduling

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Saving Earth’s Wildlife Through a Radical Change

Have you ever wondered what the ratios between wildlife and livestock were? Well, in 2018, three scientists did and they carried out some research to find out the answer. Yinon Bar-On, Rob Phillips, and Ron Milo from Israel and California estimated the biomass of all living things on the Earth. Now, biomass is the weight or mass of a living being. It was the first study of its kind and it gave some rather interesting and alarming results. Their research was published in a journal called The Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS). The research was so significant that it was summarized in The Guardian.

Of all life forms on Earth, comprising animals, plants, bacteria, fungi and viruses, they found that plants made up for 82% of all life on Earth. Bacteria came in second with only 13%. The remaining fraction of 5% comprised everything else including all animals fungi and viruses.

But what made this study so disturbing was the fact that of the mammals, 60% were livestock , 36% were humans, whilst only a mere 4% were wildlife. This is a huge disproportion between livestock and wildlife. These researchers revealed that of the birds, a staggering 70% were being raised as farm animals for food whilst only 30% were wild birds living freely outdoors.

The research also revealed that of all living things on Earth, humans made up for only 0.01%. And yet, since humans appeared on the Earth a few million years ago, they have been responsible for the extinction of a whopping 83% of all wildlife. This is a huge figure. The WWF estimates that 10,000 species go extinct every year. This figure represents both plants and animals, but it is still a massive number.

So, what exactly is driving all of this? Why are so many species becoming extinct? The answer, quite simply, is our lifestyles and the way we grow our food.

Vegans have been blamed for deforestation of vast swathes of land to grow soya. But the actual truth, according to Greenpeace, is that 80% of all soya grown is fed to farmed animals, most of whom are in factory farms. Only about 6% of all soya ends up on our plates. Deforestation leads to animals losing their natural homes, their food sources and their protection. Invariably, this will lead to many, many species dying out. There is nothing to sustain them. Deforestation is carried out not only to grow soya (and also corn which is fed to livestock), but also for mining, logging, urban development and building of roads and railways.

It’s estimated that around 80 Billion land-based animals are killed to feed a burgeoning human population every year. And, until their untimely death, they need feeding! So, you can imagine how much land is used to grow food for them! This land that could be used to grow healthy plant-based food to feed humans. In some countries of the world, global poverty and hunger is rife.

A plant-based diet is highly recommended; it uses up a lot less land to grow enough food for human consumption. Wildlife is thus supported and the threat of extinction of species is greatly reduced.

It’s not only our dietary preferences that need addressing; it’s also agricultural systems as a whole. Growing crops responsibly and veganically supports the emergence of a myriad of both plant and animal species in the surrounding areas. Veganic growing does not use any animal-based fertilizers, any animal manures or any agrochemicals at all. Ecosystems are healthy and biodiversity is given the chance to thrive.

It has generally been accepted that the Earth is experiencing the Sixth Mass Extinction Event. Global ecosystems have become unstable and wildlife is disappearing at an exponential rate. In order to prevent any further biodiversity and wildlife loss, organizations such as the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) are strongly advocating a move to a plant-based diet, rewilding of Nature and eco-friendly agricultural systems.

The evidence is there. There needs to be a radical change in mindset. Humans need to go vegan and we need to reform our agricultural systems. And the sooner this is done, the more chance we have in preventing any further wildlife loss.

References:

Bar-On, Yinon M., Phillips, Rob and Milo, Ron; 2018; The biomass distribution on Earth; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; 115 (25); 6506-6511; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1711842115

 Humans just 0.01% of all life but have destroyed 83% of wild mammals – study; The Guardian; https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/21/human-race-just-001-of-all-life-but-has-destroyed-over-80-of-wild-mammals-study

Deforestation and food: your questions answered; WWF; https://www.wwf.org.uk/food/deforestation-and-food-your-questions-answered

Are vegans and vegetarians destroying the planet?; Greenpeace Video; https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/soya-meat-vegetarian-vegan/

Food System Impacts on Biodiversity Loss: Three levers for food system transformation in support of nature; Chatham House Report, February 03, 2021; ISBN: 978 1 78413 433 4; https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/02/food-system-impacts-biodiversity-loss

By Colleen McDuling

February 09, 2021

Extinction Rebellion, Climate Emergency, Global Warming, Animal Rebellion, Deforestation, Greta Thunberg, the Sixth Mass Extinction, the age of the Anthropocene, Global Hunger and COVID-19. These have all become household conversation points and terms within the last few years. COVID-19 and its causative agent, SARS-CoV-2, have dominated much of our media causing a great deal of panic and deaths world wide. Comparatively little thought has been given to our agricultural systems and the impact these have on biodiversity and the wildlife who enrich our planet.

In a groundbreaking study carried out in 2018 by Bar-On, Phillips and Milo, and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS),[1] the authors found that of all living things on Earth (including plants, bacteria, fungi and viruses), humans comprised only a mere 0.01%. The study was summarized in The Guardian which revealed that notwithstanding this small fraction, humans have been responsible for the extinction of 83% of all wild animals.[2] Moreover, the balance between domestic and wild animals was stark. Of the mammals, over 60% were livestock whilst only a mere 4% were wildlife. This disproportion was similarly noted in the birds; 70% were being raised as food animals whilst only 30% were wild birds.

Today, the situation is not much better. If anything it has gotten worse. Extinction of both plant and animal species, is occurring at an unprecedented rate. In 2019, the United Nations estimated that around 1 million species face extinction within the next few decades.[3] The WWF puts it very succinctly. It’s estimated that the extinction rate is 0.01% per year. This equates to around 10,000 species which go extinct every year.[4] This represents a rate between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate. John R. Platt in The Revelator writes that dozens and dozens of species were declared extinct in 2020, including orchids, frogs and fish.[5]

No matter what the source, all agree that humans are to blame for this mass extinction event. But what exactly is driving all of this? The answer, quite simply, is our lifestyles together with our agricultural systems.

Soya production has been widely accused for vast swathes of life-giving forests being cut down. But the WWF reveals that 80% of soya is fed to livestock; mainly chickens, pigs and farmed salmon.[6] Greenpeace goes even further in saying that 90% is fed to livestock and the remaining 10% is divided up into two fractions; 6% for human consumption and 4% for industrial use.[7] Going back to the 2018 study and looking at the ratios of livestock to wild animals, it is clear that enormous amounts of soya are thus required. Most livestock are raised in factory farms. Deforestation disrupts ecosystems, kills wildlife and totally upsets the delicate balance of our Earth. It makes perfect sense, therefore, for humans to move to a plant-based diet without delay.

Deforestation and the resulting soya production is only a tiny aspect of how biodiversity is being compromised. Our agricultural systems are another. The soya mentioned ends up in soil as fertilizers. Animals consume the soya, and when they are processed for meat, their blood, bones and other body parts become ingredients for commercially produced fertilizers. Fertilizers, together with agrochemicals and manures, poison the soil and the crop.

Veganic crop production does not use fertilizers of any sort. The soil and crops are healthy and this, in turn, promotes the emergence of a myriad of animal and plant species in the surrounding areas. Veganic agriculture also does not use toxic agrochemicals, thereby protecting invertebrates, small vertebrates and plant species. Killing off so-called “pests”, either plant or animal, can and does have a knock-on effect. Many invertebrates are prey species for higher order animals who, without them as a source of food, will themselves starve and die. This goes up the entire food chain.

On February 03, 2021, Chatham House, an independent international affairs think tank, together with Compassion in World Farming and the United Nations.

Environmental Program (UNEP) released a comprehensive report during a live webinar detailing the impact global food systems have on biodiversity loss.[1] It comes as no surprise that the experts which included Dr. Jane Goodall, outlined three key fundamentals to protecting biodiversity: (1) A total human dietary shift to a plant-based diet, (2) Protecting and setting land aside for Nature, and (3) Farming in a more nature-friendly manner that will support biodiversity and not destroy it. The report was of such an important nature that it was summarised in most of the major UK national press including The Guardian, The Independent and the Daily Mail.

Without a total mindset change regarding our lifestyles and agricultural systems, biodiversity has no chance at recovery and the sixth mass extinction event will continue relentlessly. Once humans have adopted a plant-based lifestyle, respecting all life forms, and once agricultural systems become revolutionized with a move away from the use of agrochemicals, fertilizers and animal manures, then and only then will our biodiversity have a chance at recovering. And that will be a good first step in the right direction in restoring the balance on Earth.

All photographs copyright © Colleen McDuling.     

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[1] Food System Impacts on Biodiversity Loss: Three levers for food system transformation in support of nature; Chatham House Report, February 03, 2021; ISBN: 978 1 78413 433 4; https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/02/food-system-impacts-biodiversity-loss

Also see report from CiWF at: https://www.ciwf.org.uk/news/2021/02/new-report-food-system-impacts-on-biodiversity-loss where a video of the event may be viewed

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[1] Bar-On, Yinon M., Phillips, Rob and Milo, Ron; 2018; The biomass distribution on Earth; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; 115 (25); 6506-6511; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1711842115

[2] Humans just 0.01% of all life but have destroyed 83% of wild mammals – study; The Guardian; https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/21/human-race-just-001-of-all-life-but-has-destroyed-over-80-of-wild-mammals-study

[3] UN Report: Nature’s Dangerous Decline ‘Unprecedented’; Species Extinction Rates ‘Accelerating’; https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2019/05/nature-decline-unprecedented-report/

[4] Well… this is the million dollar question. And one that’s very hard to answer. WWF; https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/biodiversity/biodiversity/

[5] What We’ve Lost: The Species Declared Extinct in 2020; January 6, 2021; Originally published in The Revelator and reposted in EcoWatch; https://www.ecowatch.com/species-extinct-in-2020-2649768697.html?rebelltitem=6#rebelltitem6

[6] Deforestation and food: your questions answered; WWF; https://www.wwf.org.uk/food/deforestation-and-food-your-questions-answered

[7] Are vegans and vegetarians destroying the planet?; Greenpeace Video; https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/soya-meat-vegetarian-vegan/

Short Video Competition

First prize: £500 | 2nd prize: £300 | 3rd Prize: £200

Make a video and be part of our social media campaign targeting the public and delegates attending COP26 the UN Climate Change Conference being held in Glasgow this November.

All videos will be entered into the draw for 3^rd prize of £200.00. The best two videos will be awarded 1^st and 2^nd prize.

Be as creative as you like, videos must be 60 seconds or under. Submit as many entries as you like, we want to spread the message that there is a ‘Wildlife Emergency’.

Our film competition aims to spread the message that:

To Save our Wildlife we must move to a Plant Based Food System.

Of all mammals on Earth, ONLY 4% are WILDLIFE, 60% are farm animals and 36% are humans.

By adopting a plant-based food system, land used by farm animals can be converted to wildlife habitats.

• 80 percent of the world’s agricultural land is used for farming animals (livestock farming).
• When we remove the farm animals from our food chain, corn and soya fields required for animal feed can be transformed into nature reserves.
• World agriculture must move towards “people nourished per hectare”.
• Veganic agriculture is green, clean and cruelty free, it uses less land, water and fossil fuel resources than farm animal (livestock) dependent systems and creates a wildlife friendly environment where nature can thrive.

Read: Saving Earth Wildlife through Radical Change

Make a short film and help spread this urgent message to your friends, family, community and to politicians around the world.

Support VON’s Giant Vegan Trike TV at COP26

How to enter Save our Wildlife Video Competition:

1. Make a short video 60 seconds or under, which communicates that: To Save our Wildlife we must move to a Plant Based Food System.
2. Your video can be reportage, documentary, narrative (scripted) as well as an animation or a song or dance. There are no limits to your creativity, you can even submit multiple entries to the competition, spread your wings!
3. Top entries will be posted on our website and social media channels so the public can support their favourite idea. This will be taken into account when the judges choose the winners.
4. Closing date extended from 31st October until midnight 1st November 2021.
5. Read article below: Saving Earths Wildlife Through Radical Change.
6. Watch Time is Running Out
7. Be creative, share your video, get the message out and be the difference.
8. Winners to be announced in Vegan Organic Network Newsletter November 2021.
9. Competition open to all ages and nationalities.

How to send in your entry:

Email a copy of your video to events@veganorganic.net.

Post and share your video on all your social media platforms.

• Facebook: Like and follow Vegan Organic Network Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/VeganOrganicNetwork)
• Instagram: Follow Vegan Organic Network Instagram (@veganorganic.net), upload video to your Instagram account and tag #veganorganicuk and other tags about wildlife, sustainable living, farming and being vegan. Set your account to public, so we can see your video!
• Youtube: Upload your video send link to events@veganorganic.net and share on your email and social media platforms.

Tag your friends and tell them to enter too!

For further information contact: events@veganorganic.net

Saving Earth’s Wildlife Through a Radical Change

Have you ever wondered what the ratios between wildlife and livestock were? Well, in 2018, three scientists did and they carried out some research to find out the answer. Yinon Bar-On, Rob Phillips, and Ron Milo from Israel and California estimated the biomass of all living things on the Earth. Now, biomass is the weight or mass of a living being. It was the first study of its kind and it gave some rather interesting and alarming results. Their research was published in a journal called The Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS). The research was so significant that it was summarized in The Guardian.

Of all life forms on Earth, comprising animals, plants, bacteria, fungi and viruses, they found that plants made up for 82% of all life on Earth. Bacteria came in second with only 13%. The remaining fraction of 5% comprised everything else including all animals fungi and viruses.

But what made this study so disturbing was the fact that of the mammals, 60% were livestock , 36% were humans, whilst only a mere 4% were wildlife. This is a huge disproportion between livestock and wildlife. These researchers revealed that of the birds, a staggering 70% were being raised as farm animals for food whilst only 30% were wild birds living freely outdoors.

The research also revealed that of all living things on Earth, humans made up for only 0.01%. And yet, since humans appeared on the Earth a few million years ago, they have been responsible for the extinction of a whopping 83% of all wildlife. This is a huge figure. The WWF estimates that 10,000 species go extinct every year. This figure represents both plants and animals, but it is still a massive number.

So, what exactly is driving all of this? Why are so many species becoming extinct? The answer, quite simply, is our lifestyles and the way we grow our food.

Vegans have been blamed for deforestation of vast swathes of land to grow soya. But the actual truth, according to Greenpeace, is that 80% of all soya grown is fed to farmed animals, most of whom are in factory farms. Only about 6% of all soya ends up on our plates. Deforestation leads to animals losing their natural homes, their food sources and their protection. Invariably, this will lead to many, many species dying out. There is nothing to sustain them. Deforestation is carried out not only to grow soya (and also corn which is fed to livestock), but also for mining, logging, urban development and building of roads and railways.

It’s estimated that around 80 Billion land-based animals are killed to feed a burgeoning human population every year. And, until their untimely death, they need feeding! So, you can imagine how much land is used to grow food for them! This land that could be used to grow healthy plant-based food to feed humans. In some countries of the world, global poverty and hunger is rife.

A plant-based diet is highly recommended; it uses up a lot less land to grow enough food for human consumption. Wildlife is thus supported and the threat of extinction of species is greatly reduced.

It’s not only our dietary preferences that need addressing; it’s also agricultural systems as a whole. Growing crops responsibly and veganically supports the emergence of a myriad of both plant and animal species in the surrounding areas. Veganic growing does not use any animal-based fertilizers, any animal manures or any agrochemicals at all. Ecosystems are healthy and biodiversity is given the chance to thrive.

It has generally been accepted that the Earth is experiencing the Sixth Mass Extinction Event. Global ecosystems have become unstable and wildlife is disappearing at an exponential rate. In order to prevent any further biodiversity and wildlife loss, organizations such as the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) are strongly advocating a move to a plant-based diet, rewilding of Nature and eco-friendly agricultural systems.

The evidence is there. There needs to be a radical change in mindset. Humans need to go vegan and we need to reform our agricultural systems. And the sooner this is done, the more chance we have in preventing any further wildlife loss.

References:

Bar-On, Yinon M., Phillips, Rob and Milo, Ron; 2018; The biomass distribution on Earth; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; 115 (25); 6506-6511; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1711842115

 Humans just 0.01% of all life but have destroyed 83% of wild mammals – study; The Guardian; https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/21/human-race-just-001-of-all-life-but-has-destroyed-over-80-of-wild-mammals-study

Deforestation and food: your questions answered; WWF; https://www.wwf.org.uk/food/deforestation-and-food-your-questions-answered

Are vegans and vegetarians destroying the planet?; Greenpeace Video; https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/soya-meat-vegetarian-vegan/

Food System Impacts on Biodiversity Loss: Three levers for food system transformation in support of nature; Chatham House Report, February 03, 2021; ISBN: 978 1 78413 433 4; https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/02/food-system-impacts-biodiversity-loss

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