How does Precision Fermentation and Cellular Agriculture water use compare to the animal agriculture it will replace?

Recent research has found that Precision Fermentation (PF) products use 87% less water than conventional cattle-derived products, largely because of the reduction in irrigated feed crops necessary per unit of output.

Agriculture is responsible for almost 90% of all freshwater withdrawals in the United States. The majority of freshwater usage is for crop irrigation, but the livestock industry also utilizes freshwater directly as drinking water, for sanitation and processing, and to support aquaculture. All told, U.S. livestock production and its associated feed croplands account for about one-third of all freshwater withdrawals nationwide.

Explore the evidence...

• Precision Fermentation proteins are up to 100 times more resource efficient than the cow. Watch RethinkX Co-Founder Tony Seba describe this in more detail in this video.
• The savings of the modern food disruption compared to the industrial model of agriculture are dramatic–up to 25 times less feedstock, 10 times less water, five times less energy and 100 times less land will be saved from the disruption. Learn more about the implications of the dairy disruption on p20-38 of our report.
• Recent research has found that PF products use 87% less water than conventional cattle-derived products, largely because of the reduction in irrigated crops necessary per unit of output. Food production via modern production methods will still require freshwater but in much smaller quantities. Learn more about the environmental implications of the modern food disruption on p51-54 of our report. 

Witness the transformation

We are on the cusp of the deepest, fastest, most consequential disruption in food and agricultural production since the first domestication of plants and animals 10,000 years ago.

Learn more about the social, economic and geo-political implications, and more on the transformation of the food and agriculture disruption.

Published on: 12/07/23