A surging demand for the ‘king of beans’, soy, is leading to widespread deforestation (rainforests and savannas), and displacement of small farmers and indigenous peoples.
What is WWF doing about conversion of forests for soy?
Towards a “greener” soybean
| Better production | Improving policy | Transforming markets |
| Developing better production practices that reduce the environmental and social impact of soy Identifying areas that should be zoned out of production due to their high conservation value, while encouraging the establishment of production on available degraded lands |
Calling for transparent land-use planning processes to achieve an optimal distribution of natural forests, plantations, agricultural areas, urban areas and other land-use | Promoting responsible purchasing and investment policies in the sector Conducting seminars for companies that buy these commodities so that they can procure them more responsibly |
Because of the threats of soy plantations to the environment, WWF helped establish the Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) in 2005 as a forum for all parties affected by, and involved with, soy cultivation.
A forum for responsible soy
The RTRS is a platform to develop solutions for responsible soy production, including the development of criteria for responsible production and sourcing of soy. In 2009, preliminary voluntary production standards were adopted by the RTRS, requiring producers to take measures to protect the environment, including:
- prohibitions on the conversion of areas with high conservation value, and
- eliminating hazardous pesticides in soy farming.
Over the long term, criteria adopted through the RTRS toward responsible soy production should include requirements to:
- halt conversion of areas with high conservation value
- promote best management practices
- ensure fair working conditions and to respect land tenure claims
- reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from soy cultivation and production
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Our work on soy plantations and their impact affects the following WWF priority places:
Jaguar(Panthera Onca) in the Reservation ofl Mbaracayú
