Soybeans
While cattle ranching remains the leading direct cause of deforestation in the Amazon, much of the deforested land doesn’t remain in cattle production. Instead, it is often sold to soybean farmers after the original ranchers occupy it long enough to claim ownership through adverse possession (Killeen, 2023). In this way, soy cultivation plays a major indirect role in Amazon deforestation.
Soy farming in the Amazon is concentrated in the southern regions of Brazil and Bolivia (Goulding et al., 2003). To prevent plant diseases from taking hold, farmers rotate soybeans with other crops. In Brazil, soy is typically rotated with maize, while in Bolivia it’s more commonly rotated with sorghum (Killeen, 2023). When market prices for soy collapse due to overproduction, many farmers switch to cotton instead. Likewise, if maize or sorghum become unprofitable, they are often replaced with wheat (Killeen, 2023).
A key reason why soybean farmers often don’t directly deforest land themselves is Brazil’s Soy Moratorium—a policy that bans companies from growing soy on newly deforested land. In addition, corporations generally cannot use adverse possession to gain land titles, since the law is designed for individuals who occupy and “improve” land over time. In this context, “improvement” is defined by increasing the land’s economic productivity (Reydon et al., 2022).
The largest producer of Amazonian soybeans is the Amaggi Group (Killeen, 2023), a company owned by Blairo Maggi—who once received Greenpeace’s “Golden Chainsaw” award for environmental destruction. Since then, the company has adopted a more sustainability-oriented image (Gonzales, 2017). While Amaggi has pledged zero deforestation by 2050 and promotes the use of biofuels, these claims raise questions. A 2050 deadline may be too late to prevent ecological tipping points, and the sustainability of their biofuels is questionable if the soy used to produce them comes from deforested land.
China is the largest importer of Amazonian soy (Chan & Araujo, 2020), and the bulk of that soy is used as animal feed (US Soy, 2018). Among all livestock, chickens consume the most total soybeans (United Soybean Board).
References:
Killeen Timothy J.(2023) A Perfect Storm in the Amazon Wilderness Second Edition
Goulding Michael, Barthem Ronaldo, Ferreira Efrem (2003) The Smithsonian Atlas of the Amazon
Reydon, Bastiaan. Siqueria, Gabriel Pansani. Passos. Delaide Silva. Honer, Stephan. (December 22, 2022) Unclear Land Rights and Deforestation: Pieces of Evidence from Brazilian Reality MDPI
Gonzales, Jenny (July 13, 2017) Soy King Blairo Maggi wields power over Amazon’s fate, say critics Mongabay
https://news.mongabay.com/2017/07/soy-king-blairo-maggi-wields-power-over-amazons-fate-say-critics/
Amaggi
https://www.amaggi.com.br/en/home-english/
Chan, Melissa. Araujo, Heriberto. (March 6, 2020) How China’s Demand for Soybeans is Fueling the Destruction of the Amazon Rainforest Rainforest Journal Fund
(May 11, 2018) What are soybeans used for? Soybean uses and more USSoy
https://ussoy.org/uses-for-soybeans/
Animal Agriculture United Soybean Board
https://unitedsoybean.org/issue-briefs/animal-agriculture/