Globalization and soybean expansion into semiarid ecosystems of Argentina.

Deforestation ?1 is the product of complex interaction among local idiosyncratic properties of natural and social systems and driving forces that commonly operate at large spatial scales (1). Social and economic globalization, particularly reduced communication and transportation barriers, has increased the relative importance of global drivers of environmental change (e.g. deforestation). For example, agriculture expansion is increasingly influenced by technological changes that are rapidly disseminated worldwide (2) and by changes in consumption patterns of a few countries that have a disproportionate influence on the global markets because of their large population (e.g. China) or high levels of consumption (e.g. USA, European Union). The increased importance of soybean production in the global economy is an example of how local and global factors can interact and have large effects on natural systems. A number of characteristics of soybean have made it an attractive crop in the globalized context. Soybean has low water content, high nutritive value, and the capacity to yield a variety of products (e.g. human food, animal food, oil, and industrial derivates) (3). These characteristics reduce vulnerability to market fluctuations, reduce storage and transportation costs, and have contributed to its rapid expansion. Furthermore, the increasing global demand for soybean products has resulted in large investments in research and development and the widespread use of transgenic cultivars that have increased yields, reduced costs by reducing herbicide use, and increased the range of appropriate planting environments (4). A major factor influencing the growing demand for soybean has been a global increase in meat consumption (5), much of which is producedwith soybeanmeal. Until 1993, China was a major exporter of soybeans, but the increasing demand for meat, particularly pork and chicken, associated with the socioeconomic changes during the last 10 y has converted China into the number one soybean importer in the world (6). This increasing demand for soybeans is reflected in a doubling in planted area during the last 30 y (7). Globally, approximately 80 million ha are planted in soybean, and.70% is in the United States, Brazil, and Argentina. During the last 10 y, production in the United States has been relatively stable, but South America has experienced a dramatic increase, much of which was established by deforesting extensive areas of tropical dry forest (3, 4, 8). In this communication, we describe how increasing demand, technological advances, and climate change are driving soybean expansion in Argentina and seriously jeopardizing the integrity of extensive semiarid biomes.