Protein Production and the Future

Essential Question: What are the benefits and challenges associated with alternative protein production methods and does the current global environment necessitate these changes?

As the world population grows and the resources at our disposal shrink, there will be increasing need for creative use of space, materials, and money. This is especially true in the area of global food production. Though there are problems associated with farming both plants and animals, the production of meat and protein is especially important and can be almost prohibitively resource intensive. Already, one in eight people around the world is severely malnourished and has trouble finding protein to include in their diet. Clearly, we cannot simply "stop" producing protein in the greatly inefficient way that we currently do, or we risk the starvation of millions of people. We must transition our tastes, resources, and practices and decide what methods and changes we can make to keep providing protein to people without causing the destruction of the environment. The goal of this lesson is to:

• Examine the protein in peoples' current diet and where it comes from.
• Evaluate these practices from an environmental (not ethical) perspective.
• Explore methods to keep meat and protein in our diet in an environmentally responsible way.

First, examine the resources below to get a feel for the current trends and attitudes in meat around the world. Be sure to mentally note the differences in preference and trends in the rest of the world compared to the United States. Also, note the efficiency of raising a variety of species for food as indicated by the chart below.

Meat Consumption Around the World

Unseen Costs of  Beef

Chart shows pounds of food it takes to make the animal grow one pound.

Now that you have a basic understanding of what is currently happening, explore the future of protein in our diet. There are a variety of options, but one thing is clear; the tastes of Americans will have to change and agriculture practices must become more sustainable. Some of the most promising options for sustainable protein are fish farming and eating bugs. Each of these trends has great potential, as well as great potential to go wrong. Watch for benefits and challenges in these area as you view the websites and graphics. There is also a BBC documentary on insects that you should watch. The first 10 minutes give a good overview, watch more if you have time or are interested. It is a great documentary.

Why to Invest in Fish Farms

There Aren't Plenty of Fish in the Sea

Now that you have an overview on protein production and some of the possible ways to make it more efficient, answer the question below in a post.

What do you think is the best option to increase protein production (either from the above examples or others you know of) and make it more sustainable? What are the benefits of this option? What changes need to be made or problems need to be solved before this can happen? Why is it better than other choices that could be made? Be sure to use evidence from the readings and resources of the lesson.