Experimental soy crop grown on a commercial farm in the city of Piracicaba, in southeastern São Paulo state, Brazil. (Photo by Evandro Henrique Figueiredo Silva)
Brazil could boost soybean output 36% by 2035 without clearing any additional land, thereby spurring substantial growth of its highest-earning agricultural export without causing further deforestation, according to a recent study. Increased production could come from research advances and more intensive grazing of cattle to free up land for more soy farming, says the study, published Oct. 10 in the journal Nature Sustainability. Farmers could boost their income further by increasing so-called succession planting of corn immediately after soy crops are harvested, according to the study. The study was conducted over four years by Brazilian and U.S. university scientists and Embrapa, a research arm of Brazil’s Agriculture Ministry. Its 13 coauthors argue that significantly greater agricultural land-use efficiency is needed not only to prevent continued rainforest and biodiversity destruction, but also to stabilize world food prices and supply in the face of Covid-19 and Russia’s invasion... [Log in to read more]
