Soy-related deforestation in Brazil

Brazil is the leading soy producing country in the world, producing 133 million tonnes of soy in 2020. Brazil is also the leading exporter of soy, exporting 99.5 million tonnes of soy in 2018 which accounted for around 42% of all soy exports globally. Since 2000, the area of soy planted in Brazil has doubled, to cover an  area of 34 Mha.  

Concern about this deforestation led to the 2006 Amazon Soy Moratorium – a commitment by traders to avoid the purchase of soy planted on recently deforested land in the Amazon. Whilst the Moratorium has significantly reduced deforestation in the Amazon, there is strong evidence that it also resulted in deforestation activities being shifted to the Cerrado. In the Cerrado’s Matopiba region, over the last decade 0.5–0.8 Mha of soy each year has been planted on recently converted land. Ongoing clearing may reduce precipitation and increase local  temperatures, putting remaining vegetation, livelihoods and continued agricultural production in this region at risk.