"Lester Brown has produced another 'planetary survey' book that
tells us how to get off the wrecking train we are on by courtesy
of a dozen environmental assaults such as climate change. The
better news (and there’s plenty) is that turning problems into
opportunities generally puts money into our pockets." —Norman
Myers, 21st Century School, University of Oxford on World on the
Edge: How to Prevent Environmental and Economic Collapse Chapter
9. The Brazilian Dilemma: World’s Leading Source of Soybeans For
Brazil, the door into the soybean world opened in 1972 with the
collapse of the massive Peruvian anchovy fishery, a leading
worldwide source of protein supplements in livestock and poultry
rations. Since this fishery accounted for one fifth of the world
fish catch and for an even larger share of animal feed protein
supplements before its demise, its abrupt collapse created a
protein shortage that drove soybean prices off the chart. These
steep price rises, combined with a U.S. soybean export embargo
in 1973