The Paraguayan Soy Debate: Cash Crop vs. Deforestation

Over the last several years, a large number of giant soy farms have been popping up throughout Paraguay. As a result, Paraguay has lost a large part of their forest. On one side of the argument, soy is a great cash crop and contributor to Paraguay's struggling economy. Soy is also used in the making of bio fuel and the argument can be made that it helps reduce emissions. However, with the soy fields taking over what used to be such great forest area, the argument can also be made that the lack of those trees is bad for the environment because the trees are not their to convert carbon emissions back into oxygen. The following video by BBC Travel discusses the issue further.