Shifting toward an Earth-friendly food system

Alternative proteins can address the twin crises of climate and biodiversity.

Let’s reimagine protein

From the rice terraces of Asia to the maize fields of the Americas, agriculture is a cornerstone of human progress, shaping cultures, economies, and ecosystems throughout history. Over 10,000 years ago, early farmers in the Middle East began experimenting with planting seeds and tending to livestock, giving birth to agriculture as we know it and sparking a profound transformation in our relationship with food and each other.

However, as the population grew, so did the need for more crops and land to feed people and the animals we raised for food. This led to the industrialization and intensification of agriculture and livestock farming — which produced abundant, low-cost food, but at a great cost to our planet and its ecosystems, waterways, and diverse inhabitants. One of humanity's greatest achievements evolved into one of our planet’s biggest threats.

Animal agriculture as we know it faces significant limitations. We’re running out of room for food production. To feed a growing population, forests are being cleared and aquatic ecosystems are being disrupted. In the United States, more than two-thirds of crops become animal feed and about three-quarters of agricultural land is used for animal agriculture. Livestock farming also uses 16 percent of the world’s finite freshwater. Nutrient runoff and other pollutants from conventional meat production flow daily from field to sea, creating oxygen-depleting dead zones in coastal areas.

Although when we think about animal protein, we often think of beef, pork, and chicken, seafood is also a significant source of animal protein—globally eaten twice as often as poultry and three times often as as beef. Neither wild-capture fishing nor fish farming can scale to meet growing demand without threatening the health of the ocean and rivers. Conventional fishing practices contribute further to climate change, harm habitats, and threaten species with extinction.

Feeding 10 billion people by 2050 while ensuring a habitable planet for future generations is a modern problem that requires modern solutions. Alternative proteins should be one of those solutions.

The case for alt proteins: climate

Transitioning toward alternative proteins is essential to meeting global climate goals. According to Boston Consulting Group, at 11 percent market penetration, alternative proteins would have the climate mitigation impact of totally decarbonizing air travel—and this doesn’t include the sequestration potential of land freed up by decreased grazing and feed crop production.

Current research indicates that plant-based and cultivated products can be transformative strategies for developing a resilient, climate-smart seafood supply chain as well. Plant-based alternatives have a greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint one-third less than conventionally farmed fish and three-quarters less than farmed crustaceans.

The case for alt proteins: biodiversity

Transitioning toward alternative proteins is a conservation strategy that addresses the leading stressors to biodiversity: land use change driven by agricultural expansion and pollution. A shift to alternative proteins could reduce the amount of land needed to feed the human population by as much as 75 percent. That shift could free up three billion hectares of land around the world—the equivalent area of North America and Brazil combined. This land could be used for ecological restoration, renewable energy production, and regenerative agriculture.

Given that 80 percent of the world’s biodiversity is found in the ocean, advancing alternative seafood is a key companion strategy for any initiative aimed at restoring ocean health and resilience. Making seafood in ways that are not reliant on extraction from coastal and open ocean ecosystems complements other nature-positive solutions like sanctuary expansion and can further enable ocean recovery. 

We need more solutions–not fewer

The way we make meat today harms our planet. But people tend to diverge on what to do about it. We often hear the argument at GFI that people should simply eat less meat. But the fact is that environmentalists and global health experts have been calling for a reduction in meat consumption—particularly in the West—for years, yet it keeps going up. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, meat production and consumption is expected to increase by at least 50 percent by 2050. What land will the feed crops for that meat be grown on?

Campaigns focused on energy efficiency, improved public transportation, and reduced meat consumption are valuable. Yet recent history reveals an uncomfortable truth: we are unlikely to convince a majority of consumers to consume less energy, drive less, or eat less meat. We need to meet consumers where they are. That means price-competitive renewable energy, better public transit options, electric vehicles that satisfy consumer needs, and plant-based and cultivated meat that tastes at least as good as conventional meat and costs the same or less. 

The theory of change for alternative proteins follows the trajectory of other transformative technologies like renewable energy and electric vehicles. Just as we need to change how energy is produced and cars are powered, we must reimagine how meat is made.

Some people say we should go all in on regenerative agriculture. We say: why not both? Alternative protein agriculture is a sister strategy to regenerative agriculture. From growing high-protein crops for plant-based meat to freeing up land for restoration and recovery, alternative protein agriculture can help restore healthy soils, prevent erosion, sequester carbon, and improve water quality—actions that regenerative farming stakeholders agree are essential for a healthy, sustainable, and resilient food system. 

Plant-based protein production can facilitate progress in these areas while saving farmers money. Take legumes, for example. Legumes, like peas and beans, are nitrogen-fixing plants—meaning they convert nitrogen from the air into compounds that help create rich, healthy soils—and typically require minimal or no additional fertilizer. Adding fertilizer to crops isn’t cheap. Planting legumes not only decreases or eliminates the need for nitrogen for that harvest, but also reduces the need for nitrogen for the next rotation. Additionally, by improving soil health, legumes boost water-holding capacity. Together, these effects also reduce the risk of nitrogen runoff into groundwater and streams, which can contribute to toxic algae blooms in freshwater and marine environments.

To make a meaningful difference for our planet, we can’t do more of the same. The challenges we face require a reimagining of global protein production - together.

Let’s solve it together

There’s a future where we can have the meat we love with significantly reduced environmental harm — and plenty of scientists, researchers, innovators, and policymakers are currently working to make this future a reality.

Advances in alternative protein crop development, precision fermentation, and cultivated meat technologies are happening fast, as more researchers and funding flow into the field. Scientists from diverse disciplines, and at different points in their careers, are jumping into alt protein research. The number of training opportunities for early-career scientists and innovators is booming, with new courses and even dedicated degree programs at universities worldwide.  

In the public sector, we’ve seen notable R&D commitments in Canada, China, Denmark, Israel, Qatar, Singapore, and the United States. Governments around the world are starting to recognize the potential for alternative proteins to help meet national policy goals and create good-paying, sustainable jobs — often as part of existing programs on engineering, agricultural innovation, climate science, and economic development.

Only five years ago, public funding for alternative protein R&D was close to zero. As of 2023, all-time public support for the alternative protein ecosystem, for both R&D and commercialization incentives, has likely surpassed $1 billion. To unlock the full potential of alternative proteins, however, it is estimated that $10.1 billion per year in global public investment in R&D and commercialization is needed.

Of all the players in the ecosystem, policymakers and NGOs—especially those working at the intersection of food and agriculture, climate, biodiversity, global health, and food security—are perhaps the best positioned to drive support for alternative proteins. Investment in R&D from both the public and private sectors can spur alternative protein innovation and accelerate the potential to achieve taste and price parity with conventional products and optimize nutritional profiles.

Often with technology, progress comes slowly and then all at once. Just look at what's playing out today with renewable energy: cost improvements are beating even the most optimistic projections of a decade ago. For the same reason governments give billions of dollars annually to renewable energy and global health research, governments should invest in better, safer, more efficient ways of producing protein.

Our approach to addressing climate change and biodiversity loss cannot be siloed. We need everyone at the table to build a brighter food and planetary future for all of us. The next chapter for food and agriculture is being written right now. Join us as we document the journey.