Alliance magazine 184d ago

Pandemics, plant proteins, and planetary boundaries—the role of philanthropy in the agriculture and food system sector is set to be on the rise. Globally, meat production has quadrupled since 1961, 90 percent of our farmed animals live in cheap, brutal, and unsustainable factory farms, and the impacts are finally catching up on us. Animal agriculture now emits 14.5 percent of global human-caused greenhouse gases, wastes nearly a third of global crop calories, and is the lead driver of deforestation and biodiversity loss. Despite raising 91 billion land animals and 124 billion fish every year, we are in fact losing almost $1 trillion annually through the associated health, environmental, and social consequences of our agri-foods systems and animal by-products. With this figure expected to increase as emerging economies adopt Western diets, it’s time for philanthropy to take a closer look at its role in ​the animal industry and the plant-based alternatives promising to revolutionise our lives. Is the sector ready to claim this shift as an urgent moral imperative—essential, equitable, and sustainable for all—or will we let it become just another vehicle for inequality in a new guise? Featuring: Stien van der Ploeg Executive Director Animal Charity Evaluators Marcela Borges Director of strategic development Sociedade Vegetariana Brasileira Zoë Sigle Director of philanthropic advising and programs Senterra Funders