When growing food for human consumption, there is often an unfortunate conflict between the interests of humans and the interests of animals. As meat consumption has risen in the past century, the methods of raising animals have become highly mechanized and profit-oriented, leading to extreme confinement and suffering for farmed animals.
Even the production of plant foods has become intensified and dominated by agrochemicals, leading to the killing and neglect of wild animals. The development of farmer’s fields has taken precedence over natural habitats, and competing species are killed with insecticides, pesticides, and traps.
Organic farming takes a big step by eliminating some of these practices, yet their fields are often fertilized with animal byproducts, like manure, blood meal, feather meal, and bone meal, frequently sourced from conventional factory farms and slaughterhouses.
Veganic growing is a great solution for farmers, gardeners, and citizens who are concerned about animals. No animal inputs are used, so veganic growing does not finance or contribute to animal agriculture. Veganic growing instead focuses on entirely plant-based techniques for fertility, such as vegetable compost, cover crops, and hay.
Veganic farmers and gardeners are encouraged to preserve and develop habitats for animals, providing much-needed natural spaces for wildlife, and veganic growers can dissuade many competing species with physical barriers and other non-violent techniques. And veganic growing maintains fertility by collaborating with free-living animals: when organic plant materials are added to the soil, this creates a vibrant living habitat for natural soil organisms like worms and beetles, which in turn improves the soil fertility for crops.
