Soy farms advance over the Atlantic Forest

The Atlantic Forest has been the main food producing and exporting region in Brazil since the arrival of the Portuguese in 1500. The production of sugarcane, livestock and coffee spanned the centuries, advancing over the Atlantic Forest, producing the food that fed the Brazilian population and exporting raw materials to Europe.

This fundamental role in the country's development and food security did not end with the subsequent opening of the agricultural frontier in other biomes, such as the Cerrado and the Amazon. The 2017 agricultural census (the most recent available) by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics indicates that the Atlantic Forest remains the main biome for agriculture and food production in Brazil. It accounts for 52% of the tonnage of food crops, 43% of the total production of sugarcane, soybeans and corn and 56% of foods of animal origin. It continues to combine foods for domestic consumption with commodities for export.

After more than 500 years of development, the Atlantic Forest is the most degraded biome in the country with the smallest remaining native vegetation cover. Despite recent advances in science, technology and improved governance – including the Atlantic Forest Law in 2006 – agriculture is still driving deforestation. A research paper published in the journal Nature Sustainability in January showed that during the decade 2010–20, the Atlantic Forest lost 186,000 hectares of its rare mature forests, mainly to the expansion of the agricultural frontier.

A new study by Trase indicates that soybean production has increased and is further putting pressure on the Atlantic Forest. Based on data from the 2022 harvest, the study shows that more than 50,000 hectares of soybeans were cultivated in areas of the biome that had been deforested in the previous five years. The number represents more than double that recorded between 2015 and 2019 (22,000 hectares).

The new study also indicates that 21% of all soybeans sold by Brazil in 2022 originated in the Atlantic Forest – more than 25 million tonnes. Of this amount, 36% were exported to China, 36% remained in the Brazilian domestic market and the remaining 28% went to countries such as South Korea, Iran and Vietnam.

Soybean production already occupies around 11.6 million hectares of land in the Atlantic Forest, some of which is associated with recent deforestation. One third (33%) of the entire area of ​​native forest cleared to make way for soybeans in the biome is concentrated in just 10 municipalities. Most affected is the border region between Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná, which accounted for 76% of the deforested areas identified in the study.

Crops from recently deforested areas leave the fields and reach global markets through international traders, some of which have made corporate commitments to zero deforestation. Although ending deforestation is a no-brainer to address the global climate and biodiversity crises and to ensure ecosystem services for the economy, agricultural production, prosperity and health, we are experiencing a period of setbacks in the adherence to and implementation of zero-deforestation commitments. National leaders are pushing for the European Union's anti-deforestation regulation (EUDR) to be postponed, while in Mato Grosso and other Amazon states there is a movement to end the Soy Moratorium.

However, if Brazil wants to remain an agribusiness powerhouse and an environmental player, success in tackling deforestation depends not only on strengthening but also on expanding these initiatives to all biomes. The Atlantic Forest Law should be a reference in this regard, and should be complemented by new mechanisms for a positive agenda to achieve our commitments to end deforestation by 2030.

This article was first published by Folha de S.Paulo.