Cargill and Bunge implicated as Amazon deforestation increases
Increasing demand for crops including soy is driving deforestation in the Amazon basin, says a study by US environmental advocacy group Mighty Earth. The research, which used satellite imaging and supply-chain mapping, revealed significant forest-clearing in Bolivia and Brazil by farmers trading soybeans with US food companies Cargill and Bunge. The analysis showed 321,000 acres of deforestation between 2011 and 2015 in the Brazilian region where Cargill operates. Bunge was linked to over 1.4m acres of deforestation during the same period. In 2014, Cargill and other firms pledged to eliminate deforestation from agricultural commodity production by 2020.
COLONIA BERLIN, Bolivia — A few months ago, a representative from Cargill traveled to this remote colony in Bolivia’s eastern lowlands in the southernmost reaches of the vast Amazon River basin with an enticing offer.

The American agricultural giant wanted to buy soybeans from the Mennonite residents, descendants of European peasants who had been carving settlements out of the thick forest for more than 40 years. The company would finance a local warehouse and weighing station so farmers could sell their produce directly to Cargill on-site, the man said, according to local residents.

One of those farmers, Heinrich Janzen, was clearing woodland from a 37-acre plot he bought late last year, hustling to get soy in the ground in time for a May harvest. “Cargill wants to buy from us,” said Mr. Janzen, 38, as bluish smoke drifted from heaps of smoldering vegetation.

His soy is in demand. Cargill is one of several agricultural traders vying to buy from soy farmers in the region, he said.