Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
4
5. SOY CONTROVERSIES
62
Uses of soy Growing demand Loss of natural ecosystems Steps toward sustainable soy
4 5 5 6
6. STEPS TOWARD RESPONSIBLE SOY
68
84
Soy, soil, water and resource use Soy cultivation: Social impacts
1. INTRODUCTION
10
2. SOY AND ITS USES
12 14 15 15
1. Market responses 2. Consumer country responses 3. Producer country legislation 4. Land-use planning 5. Better Management Practices 6. Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) 7. Responsible investment 8. Reducing consumption and reducing waste
3. THE CONTINUING RISE OF SOY
18
7. WHAT YOU CAN DO
Natural ecosystems affected by soy
Soy for feed Soy for food Soy for fuel
Soy cultivation: the search for land Where next? Local producers for the global market The market for soy in Europe Big players in the soy market Moving markets: China from exporter to importer
11
21 24 25 25 27 29
4. SOY AND DEFORESTATION 32 Soy, deforestation and the loss of valuable ecosystems The Amazon The Cerrado The Atlantic Forest The Gran Chaco The Chiquitano Forest North American Prairies
34 38 42 46 50 54 58
62 64
71 74 76 78 79 81 82 82
Soy producers 84 Soy traders 84 Buyers in feed, meat and dairy, food processing and retail sectors 85 Financial institutions 85 Consumers 86 Governments in soy-producing countries 86 Governments in consumer countries 87 NGOs 87
Tables
Figures
1. Area and yields of soybean - projections to 2050 21 2. Soybean production 2008-13 in thousand tonnes 21 3. Soybean major harvested areas 24 4. Soybean importers 2008-13 in thousand tonnes 31 5. Largest soy-importing countries/regions 31 6. Forest lost in Argentina, 1998-2008 37 7. Proportion of GM soy grown in countries considered in this report 67
1. Ecoregions impacted by soy in South America 2. Soy product flows 3. Current and projected development of soy bean and meat production: 1961-2020 4. Soy global trade flows for key regions 5. EU soy imports averages for 2006-10
11 16 22 26 29
The Growth of Soy: Impacts and Solutions | page 3