"Responsible Soy: “Food, Feed and Fuel for a Future World”"

With the aim of deepening the debate on the definition of responsible soy, on April 23rd and 24th the Third International Conference on Responsible Soy took place at the Hilton Hotel in Buenos Aires. The meeting, called “Food, Feed and Fuel for a Future World”, is organized every two years by the Round Table on Responsible Soy Association, being Sao Paulo and Asunción the last two venues. In this opportunity, some 200 people and numerous internationally well known speakers reflected upon the various aspects of the soy chain and its impacts.

During the first day, participants had the chance to work in a participatory way with the documents on principles and criteria on responsible soy and the first ideas about a verification system, which the Development Group has been preparing since 2007. This exercise, under the view of RTRS, constitutes an extension of the public consultation process opened in March (finishing May 30th) and a key input for the definition of responsible soy.

By means of a methodology created by Proforest, the consulting facilitator of the Development Group process, participants discussed the principles and criteria grouped in three thematics:

1) Labour conditions, land rights, relationships in the community and responsible commercial practices, among others
2) Responsible water management, responsible soil management, protection of biodiversity, responsible establishment of infrastructure and new areas for cultivation, among others
3) Certification systems, verification options in the supply chain, and support mechanisms to help farmers improve their performance

Then, during the second day, participants attended group sessions called Open Spaces, where several organizations shared documents which worked as triggers for discussions. In these spaces heated debates were held around the 3F in soy (Food, Feed and Fuel), as well as the expectations of civil society and the retailer sector, and the soy sector in Argentina.

The conference had the presence of the General Director of Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality from the Netherlands, Mr. Hans Hoogeveen, and the Sub-secretary of Planning and Environmental Policy of Argentina, Lic. José María Musmeci at the closing speech.

Moreover, representatives of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) from Switzerland participated in all activities. SECO is a donor for the RTRS that has recently renewed its commitment with a contribution of 300.000 Euros, to be applied to the association’s activities during the next three years.