Soy 2.0 - Project
Soybean is a key protein source for human food and animal feed. Europe relies heavily on imports, with over 33.5 million tons brought in during 2020 mainly from Brazil and Argentina. This dependence contributes to deforestation in crucial ecosystems like the Amazon, Cerrado, and Gran Chaco. Establishing large-scale European soybean cultivation and production could help mitigate deforestation, reduce import reliance, lower carbon footprints, and support a transition to more sustainable (plant-based) diets.
Soybean has a natural ability to fixate nitrogen, a key nutrient for plant health and growth, thanks to a partnership with soil bacteria (rhizobia) that house in its roots. This partnership reduces the need for synthetic nitrogen fertilizers. Local soy cultivation could thus alleviate nitrogen pollution in Europe while decreasing emissions related to import. Although soybean is typically a (sub)tropical crop, varieties adapted to Northwestern Europe’s climate already exist. However, current rhizobial strains are non-endemic, leading to suboptimal yields and insufficient protein content for food industry standards.
A pioneer VIB Grand Challenge project (Soy in Flanders) identified local rhizobia strains capable of forming nitrogen-fixing nodules on soybean roots, bearing potential to help soy thrive in our climate. Patent applications have been submitted for the most promising strains, and initial field trials suggest they may improve seed yield and protein content compared to commercial strains. However, results vary across field trials and -conditions, highlighting the need for further testing in diverse environments.
This is where the Soy 2.0 project comes in! The project aims to validate these promising rhizobia strains to enhance soybean yield, protein content, nitrogen fixation and overall profitability under real agricultural conditions. That's why the project will involve 50 farmers across Flanders and Wallonia to plant soybean, inoculated with the promising rhizobia strains, on their own fields. Results of these farmer field trials will be analysed in detail, integrating variables like bacterial strain, soy variety, soil type, climate condition and many more in a computational model that maps the 'golden combination'. Interviews with farmers and consumers allow to map the market for local soil, altogether preparing for local soy cultivation and production in our region.