Reference no: EM132814204

It requires seven times more land to sustain a meat-based diet than a plant-based diet. In other words, the same amount of land required to feed one meat-eater can grow enough crops to feed seven vegetarians. Similarly, the world's cattle eat the same amount of food that would feed 8.7 billion people if humans consumed it directly. Finally, it is estimated to take about 43 000 L of water to produce about half a kilogram of ground beef (Dr. David Pimentel, professor of ecology and agricultural sciences at Cornell University, 1997). Based on these facts, what would be the benefits of vegetarianism in overcrowded or densely populated nations?