The seed that changed Brazil's agricultural map
Soy in Brazil could also drive a socio-environmental transformation
A country that imported essential food items to feed its people, such as beans, milk, and meat, in the 1970s, has become one of the world's greatest agricultural powers. In 50 years, agribusiness has become the engine of the Brazilian economy, responsible for 26.6% of the country's GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in 2020. And soy now plays a leading role in this story. As Brazil's main commodity, its output has grown 738.6% over the last 40 years, according to official data from Conab. From a crop restricted to temperate climates to large-scale production in all latitudes of the country, the tropicalization of soy has made Brazil the world leader in this commodity’s production and export, and the Cerrado biome the largest grain producer in the country. Reconciling growing pressure for yields on the farm with global commitments to environmental preservation and sustainable development is the crop's challenge for the 21st century and lies behind efforts by the Land Innovation Fund, which fosters innovation for sustainable soy, free of deforestation and conversion of native vegetation in three of South America's priority biomes: the Cerrado, the Gran Chaco, and the Amazon.
Conab’s official data also shows that, in the past 40 years, the growth of soy production increased the area planted to this crop nationwide by 322%. And there are no signs that it will slow down: it is estimated that soy production will reach 156.5 million tons in 2029/2030, another 30% increase in a decade (Embrapa; MAPA). That expansion does come with higher yields, since soybean cultivation now occupies 36.9 million hectares in the country and is expected to reach 46.6 million hectares by 2029/2030, a somewhat smaller increase though, of only 26.4% in that same decade (Embrapa; MAPA).
Although this grain has undeniably brought economic benefits to Brazil, it has also focused attention on the need to ally responsible agricultural practices with measures to preserve the environment. The most recent report by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows that human influence is responsible for irreversible and unprecedented climate change throughout the planet. All parts of the globe have already been affected by extreme events such as heat waves, floods and droughts. In Brazil, the impacts have also been felt throughout the country, especially in the Amazon and the Cerrado – the biome where six of the seven initial projects undertaken with the Land Innovation Fund's support are concentrated: Entrepreneurship and Fellowship (AgTech Garage); Innovative Public Policies (Agroícone); Innovative Solutions Laboratory (Senai Cimatec); Territorial Intelligence System (Senai Cimatec), Carbon Balance (Solidaridad) and Farmer Engagement (AIBA).
According to the IPCC, the Cerrado is likely to endure longer periods of drought and higher temperatures that could jeopardize the performance of agribusiness. "Brazil must think twice about whether its economy can afford to depend so much on activities like raising cattle and planting soybeans. Much of the Northeast Region may become arid, forcing the displacement of millions of people. How does the government intend to deal with this problem?", warns Paulo Artaxo, one of the authors of the IPCC report and a member of the Brazilian Academy of Science (ABC), in an interview for the O Globo newspaper.
Agribusiness plays a dual role, as both the author and victim of climate change. Agricultural practices able to meet growing demand for food in the world can also affect the environmental balance and endanger the planet's future, even compromising many farms' own productive capacity. Combining conservation, restoration, and responsible production actions to ensure the maintenance of biodiversity and water bodies is now vital for the preservation of the environment and for sustainable agribusiness.
The Land Innovation Fund therefore intends to work with strategic partners in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay through funding, technical assistance and partnership-building to ensure that the soy used in the region is produced responsibly. The Fund supports innovations that generate higher yields through sustainable practices, mechanisms and approaches, stimulating farmers to conserve and restore native forests and vegetation, along with actions that mobilize networks and resources to transform the soy supply chain. In the end, the grain that changed Brazil's agricultural map may also become an important asset for transformation towards more sustainable production chains, free of both deforestation and the conversion of native vegetation.
History of the crop:
Over a hundred years ago, soy arrived in Brazil in 1882, but basically remained unknown for about 70 years. Until the 1950s, it was used on a small scale, as cattle fodder or pig feed, on small farms in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul. Soybeans began showing significant and steady growth in the 1960s, jumping from 206,000 tons in 1960 to more than 1 million tons in 1969. But it was in the following decade that the crop was consolidated its presence in Brazil, although still restricted to the southern states, with an increase in both crop area and yields, from 1,300,000 ha in 1970 to 8,800,000 ha in 1979, and from 1,140 kg/ha to 1,730 kg/ha, respectively, according to data from Embrapa available in the study A saga da soja, by researchers Gazzoni, D.L and Dall'agnol, A.
Until the late 1970s, over 80% of the soy grown in the country came from the Southern states. It was in the 1980s that this oilseed crop began to spread throughout the Cerrado. In the 1980s, central Brazil accounted for 2% of national soy production. In the following decade, this share rose to 40% and, in 2007, reached 60%. Investments in technology and research allowed available natural resources to be optimized and used to favor production even in areas previously considered improper for cultivation, such as the Cerrado. Biotechnology, mechanization, and improvements in both agricultural techniques and professional training have made a species from temperate climates achieve high yields from Rio Grande do Sul to Roraima.
