“This is the healthy way to prepare food”

According to a report by the Guardian, farmers across the US are abandoning industrial livestock farming and instead growing more sustainable and healthier vegetables.

Thanks to Transformation, an organization that helps farmers transition from poultry farming to vegetable farming, they now have the resources and knowledge to make the sustainable transition.

In addition to technical support, Transformation also provides grants of between $10,000 and $20,000 to farmers who want to give up poultry farming.

Transformation director Tyler Whitley told the Guardian the biggest obstacle for farmers is the knowledge gap.

“There's a big difference between raising chickens and growing fresh fruits and vegetables. There's a big difference between working for Tyson and having to go after customers yourself,” Whitley said.

The idea for Transformation originated at the animal rights organization Mercy for Animals. Leah Garces, president of Mercy for Animals, teamed up with former poultry farmer Craig Watts to develop the project. After working for Perdue for years, Watts made headlines when he exposed the horrific conditions in which the company's chickens lived.

Together, the Transformation team has enabled poultry farmers across the United States to start their own vegetable farms.

Tom Lim, a former poultry farmer, is one of the farmers who made the switch with the help of Transformation. Lim and his wife Sokchea have started converting their chicken coops into greenhouses with the aim of converting their land into profitable vegetable farming.

“Making a living from growing vegetables on my land is my dream,” Lim told the Guardian. “It's the healthy way to prepare food. In the chicken coop, you have to deal with ammonia, the smell, insects and all that. Unlike in the greenhouse, you just feel fresh and healthy there.”

Other poultry farmers like Lim are also leaving industrial poultry farms and running more sustainable vegetable farms instead. The transformation is also helping Watts convert his own farm into a vegetable farm.

Huge industrial livestock farms not only endanger the environment, but also the workers who work there. Poultry farmers like Lim and Watts can get sick from spending all day in the chicken coop breathing in ammonia in chicken manure.

Switching from livestock farming to vegetable farming also helps reduce the amount of pollutants released into the atmosphere. According to a report from the University of Georgia, manure and waste from poultry farms release greenhouse gases into the environment.

By moving away from industrial poultry farming and switching to more sustainable vegetable production, farmers across the United States can create a healthier environment for themselves and the planet.

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