Thesis

On the AgroParisTech campus in Palaiseau, room A0.04, at 2pm, Léa Crépin will present her thesis, entitled “Soybean Trade and Imported Deforestation”, co-supervised by Philippe Delacote (INRAE, BETA), Julie Lochard (Université Paris-Est Créteil, ERUDITE), and Clément Nedoncelle (INRAE, PSAE).

Abstract:

There is growing concern about the impact of the international soy trade on deforestation, and consequently on climate and biodiversity. The role of foreign consumers through their demand for agricultural products is crucial, revealing the considerable weight of foreign trade in deforestation. These findings mark a shift in the way deforestation is approached, from a local resource management issue to an international concern. The concept of imported deforestation illustrates this shift in perspective.

This thesis contributes to the understanding of the links between trade and deforestation by focusing on the international trade in Brazilian soybeans. Adopting an empirical approach, the links between soybean trade and deforestation are explored by successively studying different levels of the supply chain, from upstream to downstream. The first chapter analyzes production and export decisions through the effects of a Brazilian forest conservation policy on the soybean sector. The second chapter examines the dynamics of soybean export networks in the face of supply shocks. Finally, the third chapter examines the credibility of demand-side policies in the fight against deforestation linked to soybean production, by analyzing the links between foreign demand and production, and drawing implications for deforestation.