What Would Organic Agriculture Look Like Without Livestock?
Photo credit: Enchanted Meadows, La Crescent, Minn.
What Would Organic Agriculture Look Like Without Livestock? By Nolan Monaghan The global agrifood sector is responsible for up to 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to Our World in Data. In response to this prolific amount of pollution, activists, scientists, and policymakers have explored dietary changes as an avenue to quickly reduce emissions originating from the food sector. Livestock systems producing meat, eggs, and dairy products have been at the forefront of this work, with a focus on reducing the total consumption of animal products due to their calorie intensity and prolific methane emissions. While this would undoubtedly result in critical emissions reductions, there are many challenges associated with such a dietary shift. Economic development and nutritional security are often cited examples of the importance of the livestock sector, however, an additional issue of relevance to organic farmers is nutrient cycling.
Setting the Scene Alternative proteins have been a fast-growing market segment, especially with the rise of reasonably affordable and tasty plant-based meat, dairy, and egg replacers. According to an analysis from the Good Food Institute, demand for plant-based meat substitutes has grown by 400% between 2014 and 2023, and alternative milk revenue has grown from $500 million to $2.7 billion since 2019. Additionally, there is clear evidence that these trends have displaced demand for animal products, with a 2022 study published in Environmental Research Letters showing that for every 10% reduction in the price of plant-based meat alternatives, American cattle herds are reduced by 0.15%. Given the relative size of those two sectors, there is potential for a serious impact on livestock production should demand for alternative proteins surge beyond its current niche audience. Organic Broadcaster | 42
Of course, it’s by no means a foregone conclusion that alternative proteins will overtake animal products. Demand has slowed, as has investment in companies in the sector. Additionally, political and cultural headwinds are blowing against alternative proteins, with a push among policymakers to stifle the rise of the industry as well as among consumers who are growing more distrustful of large food companies. Despite this slowdown, it’s still useful to consider what a world where alternative protein consumption accelerates, and livestock production is displaced would look like. Especially for organic farmers, who are especially reliant on livestock crop nutrient flows to fertilize their crops.
The Role of Livestock in Organic Cropping Systems Livestock are, of course, essential to many organic farmers’ fertilization strategies. With synthetic nutrient sources, namely industrially produced nitrogen, prohibited by the National Organic Program producers are reliant on natural nitrogen sources to maintain soil fertility. Livestock, being prolific producers of nitrogenous material, are the most widely used source for provisioning this essential element on organic farms. A nationally distributed survey of organic farming practices published in Food Protection Trends in 2018 found that 90.4% of organic farmers used raw animal manure and 91.1% used animal manure in their composting programs. An overwhelming portion of nitrogen originates with livestock, made possible by the economic viability of livestock production. This service is ultimately driven by consumer demand for animal products, with manure production being a byproduct of raising animals for food.In addition to providing the bulk of nitrogen fertilizer for field crops, animal products