Farming animals on a large scale relies significantly on protein from grains and fish meal. However, agricultural protein requires massive amounts of land and water to produce.

Soy, one common source of food, brings damaging consequences in terms of land degradation and deforestation.

Another common source, fish meal, has material consequences for marine ecosystems. Globally, some 67% of fishmeal is produced from wild catch, despite over a third of global fish stocks being fished at biologically unsustainable levels.

At the same time, a vast amount of waste in African cities is organic waste: as much as 50% in many places. When organic waste goes to a landfill it releases methane, a greenhouse gas 84 times more potent than CO2. According to the UN, rotting food waste accounts for 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions.