The Review of Agricultural Economics Soybean Production and GMO Issues in Brazil

Based on data collected and research done in Brazil, this paper tries to show the situation of soy-bean production in Brazil. Soybean production is in a time of great change, technologically and socio-logically speaking, due to the commercialisation of GMOs. In the midst of this change arises the ques-tion of whether one should adopt the new products and ideology created by transnational corporations. Brazil's two most important competitors, the U.S.A. and Argentina, have already adopted the new tech-nology and increased their soybean production. This situation has made the Brazilian government and farmers insecure and willing to accept whatever helps increase their productivity and the economy. In-deed, one may well ask whether the country will be able to survive in the international market if it does not adopt the new reality. However, this is not the only concern regarding these changes; con-sumers in Europe, Japan and even the United States are questioning the usefulness and safety of the new technology. NGOs and some scientists are concerned about its effect on the environment. Lawyers in Brazil are pushing for legislation to make labeling the products developed with this new technology mandatory in order to let consumers know how they were produced. The decision-makers do not know what to do about this difficult situation, with economics on one side and environmental and consumer concerns on thc othcr. It scems that only time will tell where Brazil will find itself in this situation. Meanwhile, small family farmers are struggling to survive against heavy competition and stay away from the political controversy over GMO issues. In this paper, we also examine their situation and pro-vide some alternatives to help them. 1