Geografías - La expansión sojera, parte II

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Ah, soybean production in our country has grown at an enormous rate in the last 40 years. This growth is due to the high international price, the natural suitability of the Pampas region, the introduction of genetically modified varieties that allowed for reduced production costs, and the adoption of new technologies. Between 1970 and 2006, the hectares under

cultivation in Argentina increased from 38,000 to 16 million.

For a decade now, soybeans have been the leading Argentine agricultural product and also generate a long agro-industrial chain from which many sectors benefit. [Music]

Its prominence in the Pampas region imposed a new term: monoculture. Faced with the presence of soybeans, the diversity provided by the rotational cultivation of corn, wheat, and sunflowers became a thing of the past. The consequences of monoculture are still being analyzed. Researchers disagree because, although the soils did not show signs of obvious erosion,

a loss of nutrients was observed.

The expansion of the leaves in the Pampas region implies pressure on the The high soil quality in the sector is due to the fact that soybeans are very efficient at capturing nutrients from the soil, much more efficient than other crops. Soybeans continue to be produced in soils that are becoming impoverished. One might think the soil remains