{"id":8137,"date":"2017-05-25T13:13:12","date_gmt":"2017-05-25T11:13:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carnisostenibili.cvdemo.online\/en\/?p=8137"},"modified":"2017-05-25T13:13:12","modified_gmt":"2017-05-25T11:13:12","slug":"meat-production-land-use-and-deforestation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carnisostenibili.it\/en\/meat-production-land-use-and-deforestation\/","title":{"rendered":"Meat production, land use and deforestation"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As regards to territory<\/strong>, one of the most debated environmental issues about meat production<\/strong> concerns land use<\/strong> which leads to contrasting issues depending to the country of reference: in some cases, the main risk is the abandonment of agricultural land<\/strong>, in other cases the problem concerns the impact of aggressive human activities on the natural environment (deforestation<\/strong>). For example, in Italy<\/strong> the main problem is the transition from agricultural land to urbanized land<\/strong>, resulting in general abandonment of farmland by agriculturalists.<\/p>\n

According to the latest data published by ISPRA<\/a>, between 2008 and 2013 approximately 60% of the land<\/strong> used for cultivating crops or other types of produce (such as fruit orchards) have been urbanized<\/strong> or used for other purposes. Moreover, renewable energy <\/strong>incentives have been implemented, which have often prompted farmers to convert their land into \u201csolar power plants<\/strong>\u201d or to grow crops that can be used for producing energy (biofuels<\/strong>). This phenomenon has various economic and social impacts<\/strong>; productivity is reduced to the need to purchase raw materials from abroad. While the continuous maintenance required by farms helps to protect the territory<\/strong>, especially in areas at high landslide risk.<\/p>\n

Therefore, it is essential to provide support<\/strong>, especially economic, to agriculture and animal husbandry<\/strong> in order to prevent the progressive impoverishment of the countryside<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

However, in other countries the problem is that agriculture<\/strong> occupies areas to the detriment of other habitats. Just think of the uncontrolled deforestation<\/strong> of tropical forests in favour of plantations producing agricultural commodities (mainly palm oil<\/strong> and\/or soybean<\/strong> oil<\/strong>) for food or energy purposes, or of pastureland for grazing cattle<\/strong>. Besides causing the loss (sometimes permanent and irreversible) of fertile soil<\/strong>, these transitions also cause other negative impacts such as land fragmentation, reduction in biodiversity<\/strong>, variations in the hydrological cycle and microclimate changes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Although Europe<\/strong> is not directly affected by deforestation and in fact forested areas<\/strong> are in expansion, there is a phenomenon induced (embodied) by the continuous and growing demand for raw materials<\/strong>. All over the world global phenomena are reducing and increasing forests: the countries in which the net balance is strongly negative are South America <\/strong>(33% of total global deforestation), sub-Saharan Africa<\/strong> (31%) and Southeast Asia<\/strong> (19%).<\/p>\n

From 1990 to 2008, worldwide net deforestation<\/strong> was estimated at 239 million hectares (Mha). The agricultural sector<\/strong> was responsible for the deforestation of approximately 128 Mha: 49% is land for producing animal feed<\/strong> or pastures for grazing cattle<\/strong>, 8% is used for growing vegetable products for feeding pigs and poultry<\/strong>, 43% is used for cultivating plant-based foods, and producing bio-fuels and textile fibres<\/strong>. The main five crops in the period of reference that contributed to deforestation were soybeans<\/strong> (19%), corn<\/strong> (11%), palm oil<\/strong> (8%), rice<\/strong> (6%), and sugar cane<\/strong> (5%).<\/p>\n

In Europe it was estimated that embodied deforestation<\/strong> amounts to approximately 8.7 M ha (7% of the global total) for which the largest contribution is due to the demand for animal feed<\/strong>, followed by raw materials for human consumption (soybean and palm oil<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

These data show a very complex phenomenon<\/strong> that is difficult to manage, which must take into account the growing demand for food<\/strong> by the world\u2019s population. A possible solution is to reduce the amount of meat consumed in countries with high consumption rates; however, production efficiency<\/strong> must also be considered.<\/p>\n

It is evident that grazing livestock is not always the most sustainable solution<\/strong>, also as regards to deforestation<\/strong>. A possible solution would be to make farmers adopt specific policies when purchasing raw materials<\/strong>, in order to allow for the control of the supply chain and the traceability<\/strong> of raw materials.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Sustainable Meat Project<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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