Livestock: A Powerful Tool
“Everything we humans do is 1,000% dependent on agriculture. Yet if you looked at our world from space you would consider us a desert-making species.”
That blunt observation comes from Allan Savory, a Zimbabwean ecologist, livestock farmer, and president and co-founder of the Savory Institute. He offers a remedy, however, for what he describes as the “desertification” of much of our planet: livestock grazing.
“Livestock is the most powerful tool we have.”
Savory’s holistic approach to resource management suggests most grazing lands should have more livestock added, not fewer. He argues for managed grazing systems that mimic the millions of bison that grazed for thousands of years in North America. By intensely grazing pastures for short periods then allowing for lengthy rest periods, Savory says grasslands are restored and soils are revitalized in a way that provides for substantial — possibly earth-saving — levels of carbon sequestration, meaning increasing the density of cattle can help protect against climate change.