Global Soybean Trade – The Geopolitics of a Bean
Marcello De Maria, Elizabeth Robinson, Joseph Rajabu Kangile, Reuben M. J. Kadigi, Ilda Dreoni, Matheus Couto, Niko Howai, Jurgen Peci, Fiennes, Sicily
Abstract
This report, which is the result of collaborative effort within the Trade Hub project, explores the multiplicity of issues associated with the so-called ‘soybean miracle’, both from a global and a local perspective. With a comprehensive review of the available literature and data, and with country-specific summaries for Tanzania, Brazil and China, this study retraces the historical moments that contributed to make soybean a ‘global flexible crop’, increasingly appreciated and demanded for its versatility all over the world. It analyses the present structure of the soybean industry and disentangles the complex set of – diverse but interrelated – economic, social, institutional and environmental issues that characterise current international trade flows for this commodity. In a nutshell, this work not only discusses existing controversies, but also identifies potential costs and benefits, key stakeholders, as well as relevant policies, standards and regulations, affecting the sustainability of the soybean value chain.