The theme for #WorldEnvironmentDay2022 is "Only One Earth." Let's consider the essential role that #ruminants play in global food production and the unique ecological advantages they offer. First, what's a ruminant?
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The vast majority of our one Earth's surface is unsuited for the production of plant source foods. But it can produce plant fiber that ruminant animals are uniquely capable of using - converting a resource humans cannot utilize into food of highest nutritive quality.
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Ruminant production systems can *share* the environments where they're managed w/ existing vegetation & wildlife. Plant source food production requires some degree of ecosystem domination. Grassland ecosystems endangered by conversion to crop production.
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Bonus: Processing (arguably) human-edible food crops into other forms does not produce more food. There is an inevitable decrease in amount and quality. Ruminants increase the world's food supply and its nutritive quality.
Bonus bonus: There's no either/or. Livestock are an essential part of our food systems, integrated in many ways. Ruminants especially so. They can use crop residues, by products & processing wastes. They can also graze land that produces crops in the same season or in rotation.
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