Metropolitan Livestock

Interview on Michael Olson’s Food Chain Radio #586

USDA Photo by: Arthur Rothstein

“The price city people around the world pay for animal protein is going through the roof. And so we ask: Can livestock be raised in the city?

“As the economies of developing nations produce more prosperity, more people seek to add the highly concentrated protein of animals into their diet. Where beef, pork and poultry were once luxuries, they are now day-to-day staples. And given the huge populations of developing nations like China and India, the demand is huge.

“This increasing demand for animal protein, when combined with other economic factors using animal feed for fuel stocks is resulting in inflationary pressures that will likely place animal protein out of reach of many.

“Human geographer Jennifer Blecha and animal breeder Richard Gradwohl point to a possible solution to the skyrocking prices of animal protein, and that is to raise animals in the city. But is that possible, and will cities allow for livestock within their realms?

“Can livestock be raised in the city?”

Link to MP3 of this Radio Show.