You can also find the Chapter and the Book online:
- Chapter: https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv309h1fx.19?seq=3#metadata_info_tab_contents
- Book: https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv309h1fx
Abstract:
This chapter argues that a global environmental history of the Soyacene must not only study sustainability issues produced at sites of soy cultivation (notably in the Americas) and trade, but also those at sites of soy consumption. We focus on areas in the Netherlands with some of the world’s highest soy consumption in intensive animal farming. Here, we identified four different, and politically conflicting, hi/stories (i.e. narrations of the past in relation to the present and the future, by historical and contemporary actors) about soy, animal farming, and sustainability: An ‘agricultural miracle’ narrative, an ‘environmental pollution’ narrative, an ‘animal suffering’ narrative and a ‘global footprint of soy consumption’ narrative. These narratives alert us to diverse sustainability challenges related to soy-based factory farming. Moreover, these hi/stories articulare diverse ‘historical problems’ and problem causes, and accordingly envision diverse ‘future solutions’ and assumptions about who is responsible for implementing these. We call for more research of diverse sustainability narratives within and between distant-yet-connected regions across the globe. The plurality of experiences, knowledges, and livelihoods relayed to soy needs to be taking serious in ongoing attempts at envisioning more inclusive ‘sustainable’ futures.