Sustaining the Future of Animal Feed Protein

One of the greatest challenges of the 21st century is providing the 7 billion people on earth with adequate food, water, and energy. Here, this challenge will only be intensified as the world population is predicted to increase to 9 billion in 2030. Approximately 800 million and 2 billion people are suffering from hunger and hidden hunger (i.e., micronutrient deficiencies), respectively, another 1.2 billion people experience water scarcity, and climate is changing rapidly. Inevitably, food production will have to be expanded. However, the expansion must water-, land-, and energy–efficient, as well as environmentally sustainable. Animal-source foods contribute to global food and nutrition security by providing 18% of calories and 25% of protein intake worldwide. The fast-growing population and rising incomes in developing countries are expected to increase global demand for meat and milk between 2005 and 2050 by 57% and 48%, respectively, as well as a 21% increase in livestock production between 2010 and 2025. Because feeding the current 50 billion-plus food animals on earth takes up to 75% and 30% of agricultural land and water use, respectively, animal production will also have to be expanded in a way that substantially decreases the environmental footprint for the resilience of our planet.