Half of Food Produced Is Available for Human Consumption
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Provided by: Project Drawdown|Published on: May 16, 2026
Articles/WebsitesScientist Reviewed
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This article explains how using cropland for livestock feed and biofuels has led to an inefficient agricultural system.
- Students will learn about the tradeoffs of producing these crops instead of using the land to grow crops directly for human consumption.
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Geography
Authors: Project Drawdown
Region: Global
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This article doesn't put too much pressure on individual choices, which is great for students who don't have much control over what they eat.
- The article includes graphs and images that help students access the information.
Prerequisites
- It may benefit students to have background knowledge on climate change and the impact that biofuels and agricultural practices have on the climate.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Students can demonstrate their understanding of this article by writing a one-paragraph summary to describe the biggest contributors to cropland inefficiency and the solutions to this problem.
- Students can create posters asking others to change their diets to be more climate-friendly. This video can help students get a better idea of dietary changes that can be implemented to help the climate.
- This article can be used to make connections to Sustainable Development Goal 2, Zero Hunger.
This article explains how agriculture has a large impact on the climate, and how about half of the food grown is not used for human consumption. The article explores where the food goes, how this impacts hunger across the world, and what can be done to make agriculture as a whole more sustainable. The information presented is accurate, and this resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
About the Partner Provider
Project Drawdown
Project Drawdown is a nonprofit organization that seeks to help the world reach “drawdown”—the future point in time when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline. Cities, universities, corporations, philanthropies, policymakers, communities, educators, activists, and more turn to Project Drawdown as they look to advance effective climate action. Project Drawdown resources for educators include the database of Drawdown Solutions, educational video series Climate Solutions 101, the Drawdown Stories initiative, and more.
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
