Farming is one of the most wasteful processes on this planet.

It Wastes Water

Water is essential to life, and it’s no surprise it’s essential to food production as well. Whether from irrigation, spraying, pouring, or some other means, water is essential to the growing of agriculture.

Fruit and vegetables are among the most water-laden food products, simply because they contain more water.

It Releases Methane

When food is thrown out, it eventually makes its way to landfills (which can themselves be a problem for the environment). As that food begins to decompose or rot, it releases methane gas.

Less wasted food means we release less methane gas, which is way better for the environment.

It Wastes Land

About 900 million hectares of non-arable land are used in the production of the world’s meat products. Moreover, when you count all of the land needed to produce other foods, like the millions of pounds of fruits and vegetables we waste each year, the use of land skyrockets.

It Harms Biodiversity

“Biodiversity” is simply a fancy word for the diversity of life in an ecosystem or environment—the full spectrum of life across different species and kinds of organisms. This is a hidden but real cost of food waste. Deforestation, especially in tropical areas, destroys natural flora and fauna (sometimes to the point of extinction), in the name of creating more land for food production.

Thankfully, these impacts no longer have to be a side effect of farming, as new technologies are helping us move forward. It’s becoming increasingly evident that we must adopt new systems that help combat the damage caused.