O Cultivo da Soja e a Supressão da Vegetação Durante a Década de 1970: Um Estudo Sobre Minifúndios do Vale do Taquari, Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

Soybean was introduced in Brazil in the early twentieth century by Japanese immigrants. From on 1940, it began to be produced on a larger scale in properties between 5 to 10 hectares. During the 1970s there was a significant increase in production, motivated by, among other factors, the high price in the international market. This study aims at verifying the relationship between deforestation and increased soybean acreage, which occurred in the 1970s in the villages of Arroio da Seca, Corvo and Linha Schmidt, former components of the current municipality city of Estrela/RS. The methodo- logy used for the implementation of the study was literature, imagery analysis and interviews with individuals involved with the planting in that time. As a result, it was observed that the cleared areas were not caused solely by planting soybean.

Keywords

• soybean
• environment
• taquari valey