Helping Farmers Transition to Alternative Protein

Many studies have pointed to the negative effects of cattle and other farm animals. Not only is animal agriculture damaging to the environment, but it is also not enough to meet global food demand. 

At the same time, plant-based diets have become more popular in recent years. This has led to rising interest in alternative protein (such as meat made from plants or cells). 

However, there are individuals who oppose this movement. For example, the Dairy Association and Cattlemen’s Associations have tried to push back against the findings about the environmental effects of traditional animal agriculture. These groups are also highlighting consumer confusion about meat alternatives, putting their health benefits into doubt, and questioning if plant-based meat can really be called ‘meat’. 

For many small and local farmers, the rise of alternative protein over traditional meat hurts their business. But if they move away from raising livestock and turn to something else. 

It’s not an easy or straightforward transition. By making this change, farmers are basically changing their careers or starting a new business. Most people would find both of these situations difficult. There are also other factors, including property rights, family honor/legacy, and much more.   

If we want farmers to make the switch from livestock to plant-based protein, we need to provide them with more resources. Some programs, like Refarm’d and Transfarmation, lend support to farmers who are trying to get into the alternative protein space. Refarm’d helps dairy farmers produce plant-based milk (almond, oat…etc).  Transfarmation helps farmers grow crops like hemp and apply for grants.

While resources exist for plant-based alternatives, programs are lacking for cell-based meat. This is because the market for it is still developing and cellular agriculture is a bigger change from traditional methods. 

Still, it may be possible for farmers to successfully grow cell-based protein. Future Meat‘s Chief Science Officer, Yaakov Nahmias, suggests farmers to try producing both animal and cultivated meat. They would do so by investing in bioreactors and other equipment.

After doing both, farmers would compare the amount of time and resources it takes to produce animal versus cultivated meat. If research is correct, cell-based meat should be much cheaper overall despite the upfront costs.  It should also be faster to multiply cells. This means many farmers will likely choose to cultivate meat instead of livestock. 

As we start to encourage livestock farmers to make the switch, we will need the government to step in. If they create new programs, subsidies, or tax incentives, more farmers will be on board.

As it stands, the US government spends billions of dollars subsidizing traditional animal agriculture, but pays little attention to sustainable farming methods. This will become more and more of an issue as other countries step up their meatless game. Singapore and Israel, which have less land for farming than the US, are already betting on future food innovations to become self-sufficient for agriculture. 

References:

Mapping a Path Forward for Farmers in an Alt-Protein Landscape