The land on which food is grown is limited. The question “how do we feed everyone?” also has an answer tied to what we grow and who gets the harvest: people or animals. Here is what the data published by researchers and by the United Nations show, as cited by Our World in Data.
In short
- According to an analysis in Science (Poore and Nemecek, 2018), 50% of the world’s cropland produces food for people, 38% livestock feed and 12% non-food uses.
- A separate UN report estimates that one-third of croplands are used for feed.
- About 40% of the world’s protein comes from animal products and 60% from plant-based foods.
- Research suggests it would be possible to feed everyone a nutritious diet on existing croplands, but only if plant-based diets spread widely.
Where the cultivated land goes
Our World in Data combined FAO land-use data with the 2018 analysis by Poore and Nemecek in Science. The result: 50% of cropland produces food for people, 38% produces feed for livestock, and 12% serves non-food uses such as biofuels. The figures are close to those in a separate UN report, which estimated that one-third of croplands are used for feed production.
Where protein comes from
About 40% of the world’s protein comes from animal products and 60% from plant-based foods, according to Our World in Data. That means a large share of the protein we need is already plant-based, and legumes, grains, nuts and seeds can cover much more.
Can everyone be fed?
Research cited by Our World in Data suggests so: it would be possible to feed everyone a nutritious diet on existing croplands, but only if plant-based diets spread widely. There is one nuance: two-thirds of pastures are unsuitable for growing crops, so not all grazing land could directly produce food for people.
What you can do
- Include legumes, whole grains, vegetables and nuts in your meals more often. Ideas: Fasting food and the Vegan guide to Moldova.
- Read about the environmental impact in The environmental reason and about health in Health and a vegan diet.
Sources
- Our World in Data: Half of the world’s habitable land is used for agriculture
- Our World in Data: If the world adopted a plant-based diet, we would reduce global agricultural land use from 4 to 1 billion hectares
Updated: 26 October 2026
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