Productivity and plunder: Soybean frontier expansion and soil nutrient loss in the Argentine countryside

This compilation thesis investigates how Argentina’s rapid soybean expansion since the 1970s has fueled economic growth while causing significant environmental and social consequences, particularly soil nutrient loss. Existing research has overlooked critical gaps, including the under-representation of historical analyses connecting past agricultural expansion (primarily led by wheat) to current soybean dynamics, limited integration of biophysical and social analyses in understanding soil nutrient loss, insufficient comparisons of subnational differences in soybean production, and a need for more integrated interdisciplinary methods linking historical, ecological, and political-economic processes. This research combines economic history and political ecology in an interdisciplinary approach, applying key concepts such as commodity frontiers and social costs. The study employs a mixed-methods design that integrates quantitative and qualitative data. Historical analysis draws from agricultural censuses, localized agronomic studies, and production and trade databases as well as secondary sources and other grey literature to trace the development of soybean agriculture. Nutrient budget calculations for nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur are based on subnational agricultural production data and trade statistics.

Additionally, expert interviews, primarily with agronomists, provide critical insights into contemporary regional production practices. The Pampas ecoregion is examined across all three papers, while two of them feature comparative subnational case studies of the Pampas and the Dry Chaco ecoregions, represented by Southern Córdoba and Eastern Santiago del Estero, respectively. Findings reveal stark regional differences: in the Pampas, long-established agrarian systems have supported production intensification, leading to gradual but persistent soil nutrient loss. In contrast, Eastern Santiago del Estero’s rapid agricultural expansion into fragile ecosystems has caused higher levels of nutrient loss due to minimal soil management. These trends are intensified by global market pressures, particularly European demand, which has historically incentivized extractive production over sustainable practices.

This study concludes that soil nutrient loss is not external to the productive process, nor is it a technical issue that can be solved through economic incentives and technological fixes. Instead, it is a structural consequence of Argentina’s historical integration into global commodity markets. Moreover, it shows that while geographical variation and historical ruptures clearly exist, the structural patterns of Argentina’s insertion remain dominant drivers. By linking historical legacies and global economic forces to uneven agricultural development, this research offers critical insights into the long-term social and ecological consequences of global agricultural production.