Soybean planting hastens drying of Amazonia: study

PARIS (AFP) – Chopping down Amazonian rainforest to plant soybeans is even more damaging to the environment than using the land for cattle pasture, according to a study reported on Wednesday.

Soybean fields in Brazil reduce local rainfall by four times as much as pasture land, the British weekly New Scientist said.


The reason: soybean fields are light in colour, which means they reflect a lot of solar radiation.

As a result, the surface of the field is heated less, which in turn reduces the amount of warm air convected from the ground. That means fewer clouds form, and ultimately less precipitation falls.

AFP