Soybean Expansion and Productive Reconfiguration: Economic and Territorial Impacts in Northeastern Buenos Aires Province (2002–2019)

Abstract

This article critically analyzes the economic, territorial, and socio-environmental impacts of soybean expansion in the Partido de Punta Indio, located in northeastern Buenos Aires Province, from 2002 to 2019. Using a methodology that combines census data, fieldwork, and local interviews, the study highlights three main dimensions of this process: land use reconfiguration and agrarian capital concentration; displacement of small farmers and loss of productive diversity; and the externalization of health and ecological costs to local communities. The paper argues that late-stage soybean expansion functions as an extractive model that deepens structural inequalities and undermines territorial rights in a context of weak state regulation. Finally, it discusses emerging agroecological experiences as viable alternatives for a sustainable, place-based transition.