Is Brazil's soybean boom sustainable? This paper presents a stark assessment of the environmental and social costs associated with soybean cultivation in Brazil. Driven by global market forces, soybean expansion poses a potent threat to tropical biodiversity. The authors argue that soybeans are far more damaging than other crops, justifying massive infrastructure projects that unleash a cascade of destruction across vast areas. These projects lead to the destruction of natural habitats and severe concentration of land tenure and income. The study calls for proactive conservation measures, elimination of subsidies that incentivize soybean expansion, and strengthening of environmental regulations to mitigate the multiple impacts of this crop on biodiversity and societal well-being.
Published in Environmental Conservation, this paper directly addresses a critical issue within the journal's scope: the environmental impacts of agricultural practices. The study’s focus on soybean cultivation in Brazil, its analysis of the associated environmental and social costs, and its recommendations for policy interventions align with the journal's mission to promote sustainable development and conservation.