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- Convenors:
-
Paulina Flores-Martínez
(University of York)
Ângela Camana (Federal University of Pará - Brazil)
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- Chairs:
-
Marília Luz David
(Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul)
Tomaz Fares (University of York)
- Discussants:
-
Enrique Castañón Ballivián
(University College London)
Nirvia Ravena de Sousa (Centre of Amazonian Advanced StudiesFederal University of Pará State)
- Format:
- Roundtable
- Stream:
- Agriculture, rural livelihoods, food systems, and climate change
- Location:
- CB5.5, Chancellor's Building
- Sessions:
- Thursday 26 June, -
Time zone: Europe/London
Short Abstract
This roundtable debates the social and environmental justice of the Brazilian soy chain, focusing on: a) the sustainability governance mechanisms as tools for designing futures for the chain; and b) the implications for the soy chain's future stemming from polarity shifts in global economic power.
Description
Long gone are the days when the configuration of and participation in agri-food supply chains was heralded as the best means for the developing non-industrialised economies. At present, agri-food supply chains are synonymous with mixed, if not contradictory, development outcomes. Generally, while these supply chains provide economic expansion and development opportunities for some agri-food actors, they are equally associated with adverse effects upon others and more recently, with broader pervasive impacts as per their inextricable association with environmental and climate crises. In this roundtable, we propose a debate on the intersections of social justice, development outcomes and the purposes behind sustainability governance for the Brazilian soy supply chain. The soy agro-industry is of extreme relevance for the domestic economy, as well as for global trade partners who rely heavily on its supply to meet food security goals. Crucially, in Brazil, the expansion of soy is the second deforestation driver behind the expansion of cattle pasture and land speculation. Hence, large corporations now face public regulations and growing demands from foreign stakeholders to set up traceability policies and uptake non-deforestation commitments. The roundtable will unpack two main ongoing phenomena. First, the sustainability governance mechanisms are characterised as instruments for imagining and designing possible futures for the chain. Secondly, the implications for the soy chain's future development stemming from polarity shifts in global economic power, namely an evolution toward South-South trade predominance. The proposed debate will be underpinned by an interdisciplinary approach incorporating anthropology, sociology, political economy and International Relations perspectives.
Accepted contributions
Session 1 Thursday 26 June, 2025, -Contribution short abstract
We will examine how Brazil's leading soy corporations have addressed climate change through 2019-2023 policies, focusing on ESG reports and public commitments. It highlights strategies to reduce GHG emissions and partnerships shaping agro-environmental governance, suggesting simplified targets.
Contribution long abstract
With the emergence of international due diligence legislation and the Paris Agreement’s recognition of the private sector’s role in combating climate change, corporations face growing pressure to adopt sustainability guidelines. The soybean supply chain exemplifies these dynamics, particularly in Brazil, where socio-environmental violations are prevalent. This study examines how Brazil’s leading soybean corporations interpreted climate change through policies announced between 2019 and 2023, advancing the concept of corporate environmental governance arrangements (David; Camana, forthcoming).
Grounded in environmental humanities and Science and Technology Studies (STS), the analysis critiques the processes of producing environmental data (Davis et al., 2012; Goldstein; Nost, 2022). The empirical basis includes ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reports from 2019–2023 by six major traders—ADM, Amaggi, Bunge, Cargill, COFCO, and LDC—alongside public climate commitments, media publications, and data from the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP).
This overview highlights: i) strategies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in operations and ii) partnerships that shape agro-environmental governance arrangements in the soybean supply chain. Preliminary findings suggest that corporate climate targets simplify environmental problems, favoring reductionist approaches. These policies reflect broader efforts to balance sustainability goals with operational priorities in a context of increasing global scrutiny.
Contribution short abstract
We examine the extent and significance of the rise of Chinese agribusiness across the Brazilian soy value chain. We investigate the implications of this rise for global environmental politics and the governance and regulation of globally traded agricultural commodities like soy.
Contribution long abstract
Since 2000, Brazil’s soybean industry has undergone one of the fastest agricultural expansions worldwide. This boom has been largely driven by China’s increasing demand for animal feed crops, as a by-product of the country’s rapid economic development. Soybeans, a key animal feed ingredient, have played a crucial role in modernising China’s livestock industries, to meet the transition from grain- to meat-based diets. While a handful of Northern and Brazilian firms account for most deforestation exposure (TRASE, n.d.), the significance and magnitude of total soy exports to China have raised concern about its direct and indirect contribution to land clearance and other environmental consequences associated with the soybean chain. The growing presence of Chinese capital in Brazil is symbolised by the rise of COFCO - a state-backed global agribusiness that has become a key player in the soy-animal proteins value chain. We propose an examination of the extent and significance of the rise of Chinese agribusiness with respect to the soy-animal protein global value chain (GVC). More specifically, we explore the implications of this rise for global environmental politics and, more precisely, the governance and regulation of globally-traded agricultural commodities, like soy.