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Soybean plantations-the new "Amazon forest" spurs changes to environmental practices
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by jessica.lam | June 18, 2008 at 12:02 pm
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"This same initiative will be extended to two other sectors -- the timber sector and the beef sector," Environment Minister Carlos Minc said while praising the grain industry and non-governmental organizations for a "pioneering" initiative.
Environmentalists called Minc's initiative essential to the protection of the world's largest rainforest. Deforestation in the region quickened in the past months as world grain prices continue to set record highs.
The moratorium is a commitment by the local Vegetable Oils Industry Association (Abiove), which includes big crushers such as Cargill Inc, Bunge Ltd, ADM Co and Louis Dreyfus, and the Grain Exporters Association (Anec) to extend the expiring, one-year ban that began in July 2006.
"The decision today is very important as it shows a leading sector in Brazilian agribusiness can guarantee food production without the need to cut down one more hectare of Amazon," Paulo Adario, Greenpeace Amazon campaign director, said in a note.
Deforestation of the Amazon is on course to rise after three years of declines, with figures for April released earlier this month showing a startling 434 square miles of trees lost in the month.
In a show of commitment to Amazon protection, the government unveiled initiatives in past weeks including the creation of three protected reserves and an operation to impound cattle grazing on illegally cleared pastures.
But Greenpeace said a one year extension may not be long enough to build the tools necessary to ensure that soy production does not result in further deforestation.
"Without regulating land use, there is no economic zoning in the Amazon," Minc said.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (4)
at 13:44 on June 18th, 2008
Great article. Amazonic region can be used with responsibility to produce food, without destroying the forest.
The government needs to monitor with greater intensity the Amazon region.
fhmolina has contributed a photo to this story.
at 03:34 on June 19th, 2008
This was taken in a soy bean field in Bertie County in North Carolina. Photographed: Robin Eddy, Company: Mitchell Environmental, P.A. http://www.mitchellenvironmental.com
rgeddy has contributed a photo to this story.
at 06:33 on June 19th, 2008
The town of Querencia, north of Mato Grosso state is in in the fringes of the Amazon and is one of many very prosperous and productive agricultural little towns in the hart of Brazil. With good weather, fertile soil, lots of technology and hard work they are achieving record braking level of soy productivity turning what was once a isolated forgotten corner of Brazil into a major soy beans production center. Of course the nature takes his share of the burden, the forest had to make place to the soy fields.
The driving force behind these achievements are the “Gauchos”, southern farmers moved in by the military dictatorship of the 70´s to colonize huge inhabited areas of the country. They have mixed feelings about ecology, acknowledging the need for preservation in one hand and a bag full of unanswered questions in the other.
“ Those are fertile lands, we can not be blamed for producing food when the world so badly need it. Only land unfit for agriculture should be kept as forest reserves” Said one farmer.
“Why should I keep 80% of my privet land as forest reserve ( to comply with the Brazilian law) and not plant? This is a business like any other, who is gonna pay me for the lost opportunities? It fair that the world want to keep the forest standing, but why this burden is only ours? Everybody should pay its share , the international community should compensate us for the areas we are not planting. What country could afford to leave such a huge fertile area untouched? Well, in any case the can start planting their own forests in their farmland, may be when the get to similar levels of proportional forest area coverage to Brazil we could have a honest conversation about preservation” said local farm leader.
Right now the only thing everyone agree is that conservation policies still have along way to go until they can address everybody’s concerns in that part of the world.
Fernando Cavalcanti has contributed a photo to this story.
at 07:31 on June 21st, 2008
In two days over 8" of rain came down, by my estimates, roughly 40-50% of all the fields in Dodge & Columbia Counties in WI were flooded by this. Bummer. Even if farmers replant, it's awful late in the year, and only 50% of the replanted fields will have any real strong yield.
P lip has contributed a photo to this story.