Soy Milk - Ecological Impact

Ecological Impact

Using soybeans to make milk instead of raising cows may be ecologically advantageous, because the amount of soy that could be grown using the same amount of land would feed more people than if used to raise cows. Cows require much more energy in order to produce milk, since the farmer must feed the animal, which can consume up to 24 kilograms (53 pounds) of food in dry matter (DM) basis and 90 to 180 litres (25 to 50 gallons) of water a day, producing an average of 40 kilograms of milk a day. Because the soybean plant is a legume, it also replenishes the nitrogen content of the soil in which it is grown.

In Brazil, the explosion of soybean cultivation has led to losing large tracts of forest land leading to ecological damage. These particular cleared forests are planted with soy intended for animal agricultural enterprises (especially beef and pork production), not for human consumption.

The American soil scientist Dr. Andrew McClung was the first to devise a method to grow soybeans in the Cerrado region of Brazil (tropical savanna). He was awarded with the 2006 World Food Prize.