In this post from our "Uncharted Waters" blog series, we discuss that while the water footprint of livestock is substantive, the cost of that footprint is far from straightforward.
Since the dawn of agriculture spurred the establishment of human civilizations, humans have adapted and revolutionized their food systems to overcome obstacles.
Since the adoption of the SDGs, governments, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations have restructured their priorities and refined their policies, business models, and supply chains.
Failure to treat water as a strategic, valuable, and limited resource is a direct threat to the global economy; the health of our planet; and the well-being of both current and future generations of humanity.
About 70 percent of the water humans use globally is consumed by agriculture, and a full third of the greenhouse gas emissions we produce come from food production.
Ending hunger and chronic malnutrition remains within our grasp. However, we must recognize that there is a global reversal of a decades-long downward trend in the number of hungry people.
Chicago native Ertharin Cousin, 60, returned home in April as a distinguished fellow of global food and agriculture at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
