Harnessing the power of agriculture to shape the future of our planet

The power of agriculture is undeniable.

For most of our existence, humans hunted, gathered and scavenged in the wild to feed their large, nomadic communities. However, the development of agriculture about 12,000 years ago dramatically changed the way humans lived, and it has been widely recognized as a major turning point in our evolution into fully modern humans.

Agriculture allowed our ancestors to establish permanent settlements, nourished the growth of the world’s population and paved the way for advancements in science and technology. It has grown to become the world’s largest industry, employing more than 1 billion people and generating over $1.3 trillion worth of food annually.

Today’s society was built on the ingenuity of our planet’s original stewards of the land — farmers, ranchers and growers. When humans began cultivating crops and raising animals for food, it changed everything. Our nomadic ancestors put down roots, built communities and produced enough food to support them. When their crops failed or their animals didn’t thrive, our agricultural ancestors adapted and tried again. Their innovation — and grit — nourished a growing population and paved the way for advancements in science and technology.

Healthy, sustainable food systems are vital to achieving the world’s development goals and ensuring global economic growth — but climate change threatens these goals. It disrupts every aspect of agriculture and makes it increasingly difficult to ensure that sustainable nutrition is accessible to the growing global population.

Fortunately, the world’s best problem solvers are on the case.

Alltech believes that agriculture has the greatest potential to positively shape the future of our planet, just as it influenced the way humans experienced the world in the past. That’s why we are uniting the agrifood community in Working Together for a Planet of Plenty™ — a world where we can provide proper nutrition for all, revitalize local economies and replenish the planet’s natural resources.

To create a sustainable food system, “we must do much more than maintain the status quo,” said Dr. Mark Lyons, Alltech president and CEO.  “True sustainability is continuous economic, environmental and social progress. Agriculture is uniquely positioned to support these critical pillars of sustainability.”

We know that it would be impossible to create a world of abundance for future generations without addressing climate change. The demand for action provides a huge opportunity for the agriculture industry, because we have the ability to not only reduce our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but to capture and sequester emissions that have been released by other industries.

The agriculture industry can also improve production efficiency while reducing its GHG emissions with the help of nutritional solutions, new technologies and optimal management practices. On-farm research and data collection can help the agriculture industry better understand the carbon cycle and accurately measure the effects of livestock production, leading to the development of refined strategies for tackling climate change.

RELATED BLOG: Agriculture is vital to meeting the world’s climate change goals 

As a leader in the global agriculture industry, Alltech is committed to prioritizing the efficient production of nutritious food while working to minimize our carbon footprint and helping producers worldwide find and implement solutions to their sustainability challenges.

Through strategic collaboration and stewardship, we can transform the future of our planet with sustainable farming and nutrition.

The 2022 Alltech Sustainability Report documents our environmental and social performance

Alltech is dedicated to delivering smarter, more sustainable solutions to advance the health and performance of animals while also lowering their impact on the environment. We are aligning our business processes with our goal of creating a world of abundance for all.

The 2022 Alltech Sustainability Report provides an in-depth look at the ways we are demonstrating our commitments to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Ten Principles of the U.N. Global Compact, and to Working Together for a Planet of Plenty.

Our report offers a comprehensive look at Alltech’s environmental and social performance, measured key performance indicators, reviewed business procedures, and highlighted the ways we promote sustainability in our workplaces and in our communities. We also spotlighted our collaborative approach to advancing environmental actions in the industry and amplified the power of agriculture and the vital role agri-food plays in nourishing people, animals and the land — now and into the future.

In the coming days and weeks, we will share more stories from our sustainability report and summaries of its findings. Click here to read the executive summary of the report.