Cargill Mapping Project in Brazil Meant to Help Control Deforestation
Cargill Inc. last week announced it has mapped out its entire supply chain for soybeans in Brazil, where the destruction of forest to make land to grow the crop has produced an environmental conflict with global attention, writes Evan Ramstad at the Star Tribune.
With the maps, executives at the Minnetonka-based agribusiness giant say they are learning more about where, and by whom, forest land is being converted. “The objective is to transform our supply chain, or the farming sector, to be deforestation- or conversion-free,” said John Hartmann, Cargill’s top executive for sustainability in supply chain.
Environmentalists for years have urged Cargill to use its purchasing power and influence to slow the changeover of forest for farming in Brazil and elsewhere. As the world’s largest food processor and trader, Cargill makes money from the rising demand for food and the agricultural practices to supply that global need, drawing scrutiny and often criticism from people seeking to preserve existing habitats.
That tension is especially high for Cargill in Brazil. The country, which had little soybean farming 50 years ago, now leads the world in production and exports, influencing pricing globally and even the income of U.S. farmers.
Continue reading at the Star Tribune.
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