Study shows how soy, cattle team up to drive deforestation in South America

[UngulateNerd92]

• Between 2000 and 2019, the production of soybean in South America has doubled, covering an area larger than the state of California.
• Soybean farms are typically planted in old cattle pastures, and as soy encroaches, pasture is forced into new frontiers, driving deforestation and fires.
• Although soy was found to be largely an indirect driver of deforestation, policies addressing deforestation have to consider multiple commodities at once, such as the relationship between beef and soy.
• Increased commitments by companies to source from “zero-deforestation” supply chains are a promising strategy, but in order to work, the market needs to be more transparent.

As the human population grows, so does our demand for food, and soy is one of the key crops meeting that demand. Found in far more than tofu, soy is the largest source of protein for animal feed (such as cattle) and the second-largest source of vegetable oil globally after palm oil.

https://news-mongabay-com.cdn.amppr...-to-drive-deforestation-in-south-america/amp/

 

[UngulateNerd92]

@Onychorhynchus coronatus you might appreciate this article.