Soy Sustainability

At an American Medical Association (AMA) meeting earlier this year, the organization approved a new policy that supports a healthy and sustainable food chain within healthcare systems. This new sustainable food policy emphasizes the importance of foods that reduce the use of fuel, preserve farmland, and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, among other factors.¹

While the benefits of healthy eating are well-documented, AMA’s position on sustainable food encompasses a broader scope than the nutritional content of the food we put in our bodies. It considers how food production may impact health. Its policy specifically mentions incidents of asthma attacks and other respiratory problems that can be caused by air pollution.¹

Very often, the dialogue about sustainable food chains is relegated to a discussion about environmental and community health. Not anymore. The statement by the AMA adds a focus on individual health effects to the conversation. A sustainable food chain isn’t just about supporting biodiversity or rural communities, it’s about supporting personal health, too.

The question that follows is fairly obvious: so, what qualifies as sustainable food? Looking at the AMA statement, sustainable food would be food that maximizes the efficient use of resources and contributes to reducing GHG emissions.¹

Earlier in 2009, a sustainability performance study conducted by Keystone Field to Market took a close look at soybean production. Field to Market is a group of producers, agribusiness, food and retail, and conservation organizations that are working together to measure the sustainability of commodity agriculture. They are doing this using outcome-based metrics.²

The Field to Market Index showed how commodity agriculture has been and continues to be sustainable. Since 1987, U.S. soybeans in particular have performed very well against the Field to Market metrics noted below.²

• Reducing energy use: Energy use per bushel of soybean production decreased by 65 percent. Reducing GHG emissions: GHG emissions per bushel of soybean production decreased by 38 percent. since 1987.²
• Preserving farmland: The Field to Market data showed that soybean productivity (yield per acre) increased by 29 percent since 1987. As a result, the amount of land required to produce a bushel of soybeans decreased by 26 percent.²

As sustainability becomes a more important consideration in food decisions, soybean production methods in the U.S. appear to meet or exceed key sustainability benchmarks, including those espoused by the AMA.

About the Author:  Josiah McClellan is the Director of Food Market Issues and Sustainability at the United Soybean Board. His responsibilities include developing, implementing and evaluating programs for the USB Sustainability Initiative. He also assists the Sustainability Initiative Directors in Board functions and serves as a resource for issues and trends in sustainability-related topics.

REFERENCES:

1. AMA Council on Science and Public Health, Report 8
2. Field to Market: The Keystone Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, Environmental Resource Indicators for Measuring Outcomes of On-Farm Agricultural Production in the United States, First Report (January 2009)