A fallen Brazil nut tree lies on the ground, engulfed by a sea of soybean plants. Legally protected in Brazil, these trees cannot be cut down. Yet, isolated amid vast soybean monocultures, they become increasingly vulnerable—exposed to harsh environmental conditions and chemical drift, their survival hangs by a thread.
Santarém, Pará, Brazil
Accounting for 27% of Brazil’s agricultural GDP, soybeans have driven economic growth in some regions, fueling the rise of large-scale agribusiness. Carlão Noimann watches as his workers sow corn immediately after harvesting soybeans—a practice that maximizes land use. The bulk of his production is sold to Cargill, the U.S. agribusiness giant that built a port in Santarém, enabling massive cargo ships to penetrate deep into the Amazon. This logistical shift has encouraged many soybean producers, including Carlão, to expand their operations into the Western Amazon, pushing the agricultural frontier further into the rainforest.
Jatobá, a small settlement of family farmers, faces increasing pressure as expanding soybean monocultures close in on their land. A known land grabber now lays claim to Jatobá’s territory, escalating tensions in the community. The case is currently under judicial review, but for the settlers, the fight to defend their home is far from over.
Carlão was among the first to move to Santarém to grow soybeans after the Cargill port was constructed, paving the way for many others to follow. From this port, the soybeans are loaded onto massive cargo ships and transported to their final destinations.
Soy harvesters rumble across Carlão’s vast monoculture fields, stripping the land of its golden crop. As the dust rises, the freshly harvested soybeans begin their journey—most destined for export.
Soybean plantations creep closer to the Jatobá settlement, tightening the grip of industrial agriculture on the region. Neighbors report losing significant portions of their crops due to drifting agrichemicals, raising concerns about the long-term viability of their traditional farming practices.
Márcia carefully documents every threat they face in a notebook, recording what happened, who was involved, and when it occurred. Amid these accounts, she also writes poetry about land and resistance.
Márcia Guerreiro and Francisco Rodrigues, leaders of the Jatobá settlement in Santarém, Pará, face death threats as they resist a soybean rancher’s claim to their land. Despite intimidation, including visits from hired gunmen, they refuse to abandon the territory they’ve farmed for over 15 years. Once rainforest, Jatobá now sustains dozens of families producing tons of food each year. While the legal battle over land tenure continues, they have secured the right to remain—for now.
Márcia and Francisco plant cassava in the Jatobá settlement.
But despite the threats and the impact of soybean chemicals on their family farms, they refuse to abandon their land—even if it means existing amid a vast soybean desert.
The construction of a cargo port in Santarém transformed the region’s agricultural landscape, enabling soybean expansion westward to cut transport costs. However, this shift has also fueled conflicts with local family farmers and intensified land grabbing, as agribusiness pushes deeper into the Amazon’s fragile frontier.
In the early 2000s, the construction of Cargill's port facility for processing soybeans in the Brazilian city of Santarém (state of Parà), marked a turning point for the Amazon basin. This industrial development, strategically situated where the Tapajós tributary river meets the mainstem Amazon, was completed in 2003. It significantly reduced processing and transportation costs, boosting soy cultivation in the region as it became more economically profitable. However, this economic boon came at a steep environmental and social cost.
The port's facility presence spurred a surge in deforestation as vast tracts of rainforest were cleared to make way for expansive soy plantations. By 2007, approximately 60,000 hectares had been converted for soy cultivation in the Santarém area alone. This rapid transformation not only threatened biodiversity but also disrupted the lives of small family farmers and local indigenous communities who had long depended on the forest for their livelihoods.
As agribusinesses expanded, smallholders found themselves marginalized, struggling to compete with large-scale operations often led by multinational corporations and international soya traders such as Bunge and Cargilli. The rapid invasion of soy plantations led to land conflicts, with reports of intimidation and violence against those resisting displacement. In a symbolic tribunal held in Santarém, indigenous peoples, river dwellers, and family farmers accused multinational grain exporters, including Cargill, of contributing to the disruption of their traditional way of living and the irreversible degradation of the rainforest environment.
Despite international agreements like the Amazon Soy Moratorium, which aimed to curb deforestation linked to soy production, challenges persist. Recent legislative changes in Brazilian states such as Mato Grosso and Rondônia have weakened the moratorium's effectiveness, potentially opening the door for further environmental degradation and negative impact on local communities.
Santarém’s story epitomizes the complex interplay between fast economic development and urgent environmental conservation. While infrastructure projects like Cargill's port facility can drive economic growth, they also require robust safeguards to protect vulnerable communities and ecosystems already suffering the dire effects of the global climate crisis triggered in part by deforestation.