BACKGROUND

THE PROBLEM OF SOY EXPANSION.

Soy beans, oil and soy-based meal are all products for which there is a strong global demand, due to the changes in food habits and increased consumption in different parts of the World, ranging from Europe to South East Asia. While Soy is one of the largest sources of income and foreign currency, boosting both employment and development in producing countries, extensive cultivation and the expansion of agricultural frontiers, also entail considerable social and environmental costs, such as water pollution, deforestation, and soil erosion. Soy expansion may also generate social conflicts and tension between producers and local communities.  

The rapid growth of soy farming in Latin America also represents a threat to the rich biodiversity of the region, caused by the expansion of agriculture and the ensuing conversion of forests and other valuable ecosystems to arable land. Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia are the main producers of soy beans in South America, contributing some 60% of world production. Soy is also a key crop in other latitudes, where the United States, for example, is the most important producer. While the impacts of soy production will vary from one country to another according to regional and local characteristics, there are common threats to ecosystems and biological diversity in most cases.


Argentina

In Argentina, Soy has traditionally been grown in the heart of the Pampas region. The increase in world demand for soy, high prices and new technology have enabled agricultural frontiers to move soy production into the South-American Chaco region in the North, the Yungas in the Northwest, as well as other sensitive areas, such as the north of Cordoba and Santiago del Estero Provinces, and to a lesser degree, the ecosystems in the Paranaense Rainforest, in Misiones Province.

Brasil

Soy production in Brazil is well over 50 million tons, with an area under cultivation of over  20 million hectares. As in Argentina, technology and efficiency have contributed to increases in production and yields. However, current soy expansion is taking place in hitherto virgin areas, such as Matto Grosso, the “Cerrado”, and parts of Amazonia. In addition to the loss of forests, agricultural expansion brings in its wake tensions  between large and small farmers, as well as major agribusiness and local communities.

Paraguay

Soy production has transformed Paraguayan agriculture within a very short period of time. The increase in land under cultivation in the East of Paraguay has brought development and prosperity, in addition to the much needed foreign exchange. However, the Upper Parana Atlantic Forest region is currently under serious threat due to the pressures of enhanced demand for soy and the expansion of agriculture in this rich ecosystem.

Bolivia

In the case of Bolivia, the “Soy Boom” is more recent than that of Argentina or Brazil. The phenomenon of agricultural expansion, however, is also having similar negative effects upon forest and grassland ecosystems, such as the “Bosque Chiquitano” and other areas near the “Pantanal” wetland.