As discussões em torno da sojicultura como parte do processo da grande aceleração na região de Chapecó, Oeste de Santa Catarina (1960-1980)

Abstract

The increase of soybean production on the west of Santa Catarina, has started from 1960, during the Great Acceleration. In the past decades, the planting of corn and wheat were the predominant ones. It wasn't only the introduction and increase of soybean production that happened in the 60s, there was also an introduction of more modern input machines, the production moving foward to monoculture and the progressive replacing of family farming, which had as a consequence a strong environmental impact. To comprehend the cultivation process of that leguminous allows, as well, the analysis of field mechanization, the more intense use of the land and the strong presence of chemicals, those elements have also marked the Great Acceleration in a global level. In this context, the main objective of this research is to comprehend the introduction of soyal culture practice in the west of Santa Catarina, between the 60s and the 80s, aiming to undertand the debate around this subject and which are the main modification that happended due to this process. We opted to build this reflection based on the Environmental History which has the assumption to analyse the relationship between human beings and the environment, taking in consideration that the human beings are part of this environment and their actions interact and interfere with it, therefore their consequences are ecological and can't be ignored. Thus, the newspapers collection from Centro de Memória do Oeste de Santa Catarina - CEOM/Unochapecó were utilized as major source for this project. A total of 39 articles were analysed in this process, including articles published between 1969 and 1980, all the selected articles had the word soybean in the title and were published by the following periodicals: Diário da Manhã, Extremo Oeste, Correio Sul e Folha d’ Oeste Rural. While analysing the discussions pointed out by the press, it was possible to conclude that the soybean was introduced as part of a development project which englobed credit supplies, input, and storage locations. Initially, the soybean that was produced was utilized as ingredient for animal feeds, since the refrigeration industry sector were increasing in the region, gaining space by its high value commercial. Both, monoculture and the presence of soybean were responsible by the landscape change in the studied region.