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The Sino-Brazilian Telecoupled Soybean System and Cascading Effects for the Exporting Country

Author

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  • Ramon Felipe Bicudo da Silva

    (Center for Environmental Studies and Research, State University of Campinas, Campinas, SP 13083-867, Brazil)

  • Mateus Batistella

    (Center for Environmental Studies and Research, State University of Campinas, Campinas, SP 13083-867, Brazil
    Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, Brasília, DF 70770-901, Brazil)

  • Yue Dou

    (Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA)

  • Emilio Moran

    (Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
    Center for Global Change and Earth Observations, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA)

  • Sara McMillan Torres

    (Center for Global Change and Earth Observations, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA)

  • Jianguo Liu

    (Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA)

Abstract

The global food market makes international players intrinsically connected through the flow of commodities, demand, production, and consumption. Local decisions, such as new economic policies or dietary shifts, can foster changes in coupled human–natural systems across long distances. Understanding the causes and effects of these changes is essential for agricultural-export countries, such as Brazil. Since 2000, Brazil has led the expansion of soybean planted area—19 million hectares, or 47.5% of the world’s increase. Soybean is among the major crop commodities traded globally. We use the telecoupling framework to analyze (i) the international trade dynamics between Brazil and China as the cause of the increased production of Brazilian soybean since 2000; (ii) and the cascading effects of the Sino-Brazilian telecoupled soybean system for Brazilian maize production and exports, with attention to consequences on domestic prices, availability, and risks associated with climatic extreme events. Census-based data at state and county levels, policy analysis, and interviews with producers and stakeholders guided our methodological approach. We identified that the Brazilian soybean production decreased maize single crop production and accelerated maize as a second crop following soybean, a practice that makes farmers more vulnerable to precipitation anomalies (e.g., rainfall shortage). In addition, the two-crop system of soybean/maize pressures the Brazilian maize market when unexpected events such as extreme droughts strike and when this results in a failed maize harvest in the second crop, most of which is for domestic consumption rather than export. Our study suggests the need to incorporate the telecoupling framework in land use decision-making and understanding landscape changes.

Suggested Citation

  • Ramon Felipe Bicudo da Silva & Mateus Batistella & Yue Dou & Emilio Moran & Sara McMillan Torres & Jianguo Liu, 2017. "The Sino-Brazilian Telecoupled Soybean System and Cascading Effects for the Exporting Country," Land, MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-19, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:6:y:2017:i:3:p:53-:d:109146
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Kelly E. Kapsar & Ciara L. Hovis & Ramon Felipe Bicudo da Silva & Erin K. Buchholtz & Andrew K. Carlson & Yue Dou & Yueyue Du & Paul R. Furumo & Yingjie Li & Aurora Torres & Di Yang & Ho Yi Wan & Juli, 2019. "Telecoupling Research: The First Five Years," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-13, February.
    2. William J. McConnell & Andrés Viña, 2018. "Interactions between Food Security and Land Use in the Context of Global Change," Land, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-3, April.
    3. Xiaona Guo & Ruishan Chen & Qiang Li & Michael E. Meadows, 2021. "Achieving Win–Win Solutions in Telecoupled Human–Land Systems," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-15, March.
    4. Mack, Elizabeth A. & Sauls, Laura Aileen & Jokisch, Brad D. & Nolte, Kerstin & Schmook, Birgit & He, Yifan & Radel, Claudia & Allington, Ginger R.H. & Kelley, Lisa C. & Scott, Christian Kelly & Leisz,, 2023. "Remittances and land change: A systematic review," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    5. Dou, Yue & Silva, Ramon Felipe Bicudo da & Batistella, Mateus & Torres, Sara & Moran, Emilio & Liu, Jianguo, 2023. "Mapping crop producer perceptions: The role of global drivers on local agricultural land use in Brazil," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    6. Anna Herzberger & Min Gon Chung & Kelly Kapsar & Kenneth A. Frank & Jianguo Liu, 2019. "Telecoupled Food Trade Affects Pericoupled Trade and Intracoupled Production," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-15, May.
    7. Reis, Tiago N.P. dos & Bastos Lima, Mairon G. & Russo Lopes, Gabriela & Meyfroidt, Patrick, 2024. "Not all supply chains are created equal: The linkages between soy local trade relations and development outcomes in Brazil," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    8. Jian Zhang & Tao Tian & Jinying Cui & Gordon M. Hickey & Rui Zhou & Jianguo Liu & Youcai Xiong, 2021. "Sustainability Evaluation on the Grain to Green Program in the Hexi Corridor of China: A Metacoupled System Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-13, February.
    9. da Silva, Ramon Felipe Bicudo & Batistella, Mateus & Palmieri, Roberto & Dou, Yue & Millington, James D.A., 2019. "Eco-certification protocols as mechanisms to foster sustainable environmental practices in telecoupled systems," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 52-63.
    10. Liesbeth de Schutter & Stefan Giljum & Tiina Häyhä & Martin Bruckner & Asjad Naqvi & Ines Omann & Sigrid Stagl, 2019. "Bioeconomy Transitions through the Lens of Coupled Social-Ecological Systems: A Framework for Place-Based Responsibility in the Global Resource System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-23, October.
    11. Luiz Antonio Martinelli & Mateus Batistella & Ramon Felipe Bicudo da Silva & Emilio Moran, 2017. "Soy Expansion and Socioeconomic Development in Municipalities of Brazil," Land, MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-14, September.
    12. Zandra A. Cunha & Carlos R. Mello & Samuel Beskow & Marcelle M. Vargas & Jorge A. Guzman & Maíra M. Moura, 2023. "A Modeling Approach for Analyzing the Hydrological Impacts of the Agribusiness Land-Use Scenarios in an Amazon Basin," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-20, July.
    13. de Area Leão Pereira, Eder Johnson & de Santana Ribeiro, Luiz Carlos & da Silva Freitas, Lúcio Flávio & de Barros Pereira, Hernane Borges, 2020. "Brazilian policy and agribusiness damage the Amazon rainforest," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    14. Ramon Felipe Bicudo da Silva & Mateus Batistella & James D. A. Millington & Emilio Moran & Luiz A. Martinelli & Yue Dou & Jianguo Liu, 2020. "Three Decades of Changes in Brazilian Municipalities and Their Food Production Systems," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-17, October.
    15. Meng Wang & Vikas Kumar & Ximing Ruan & Mohammed Saad & Jose Arturo Garza-Reyes & Anil Kumar, 2022. "Sustainability concerns on consumers’ attitude towards short food supply chains: an empirical investigation," Operations Management Research, Springer, vol. 15(1), pages 76-92, June.
    16. Roux, Nicolas & Kastner, Thomas & Erb, Karl-Heinz & Haberl, Helmut, 2021. "Does agricultural trade reduce pressure on land ecosystems? Decomposing drivers of the embodied human appropriation of net primary production," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    17. Béné, Christophe & Oosterveer, Peter & Lamotte, Lea & Brouwer, Inge D. & de Haan, Stef & Prager, Steve D. & Talsma, Elise F. & Khoury, Colin K., 2019. "When food systems meet sustainability – Current narratives and implications for actions," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 116-130.
    18. Bruno Benzaquen Perosa & Ramon Felipe Bicudo da Silva & Mateus Batistella, 2024. "Market Access and Agricultural Diversification: An Analysis of Brazilian Municipalities," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-13, January.
    19. Andrew K. Carlson & Julie G. Zaehringer & Rachael D. Garrett & Ramon Felipe Bicudo Silva & Paul R. Furumo & Andrea N Raya Rey & Aurora Torres & Min Gon Chung & Yingjie Li & Jianguo Liu, 2018. "Toward Rigorous Telecoupling Causal Attribution: A Systematic Review and Typology," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-17, November.
    20. Yue Dou & Ramon Felipe Bicudo da Silva & Paul McCord & Julie G. Zaehringer & Hongbo Yang & Paul R. Furumo & Jian Zhang & J. Cristóbal Pizarro & Jianguo Liu, 2020. "Understanding How Smallholders Integrated into Pericoupled and Telecoupled Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-21, February.
    21. João Pompeu & Luciana Soler & Jean Ometto, 2018. "Modelling Land Sharing and Land Sparing Relationship with Rural Population in the Cerrado," Land, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-19, July.

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