A survey Embrapa conducted based on data from the last Brazilian Agricultural Census (2017) has found that over 73% of soybean-producing agricultural establishments in Brazil have less than 50 hectares and can be characterized as smallholdings according to the local legislation. “Therefore, smallholder family farmers have a large part of their income come from soybean cultivation”, explains Alexandre Nepomuceno, the head of Embrapa Soybeans. “The data show that soybean cropping is democratic, given the size of the properties where the grain is sown. Therefore, it demystifies the view that soybeans are only grown by large landowners”, Nepomuceno states. The document Características principais dos estabelecimentos agropecuários produtores de soja no Brasil segundo estratos de área colhida [Main characteristics of agricultural establishments producing soybeans in Brazil according to strata of harvested area], authored by Embrapa Soybeans researcher André Steffens Moraes, will be launched at the Soybean Research Meeting, promoted by Embrapa Soybeans, on June 26 - 27 in Londrina, Paraná, Brazil. Moraes reveals that out of the 236,000 Brazilian soybean-producing agricultural establishments, 83% (196,000 establishments) are located in southern Brazil. In that region, in Rio Grande do Sul state 81% of those properties have less than 50 hectares (77,000 properties); in Paraná, 79% of soybean producing establishments are smallholdings (around 65,000 properties); and in Santa Catarina 87% of establishments have less than 50 hectares (around 15,000 properties). The Midwest and Southeast regions of Brazil account for approximately 4% of the total number of small soybean-producing properties (around 6,000 establishments each), and the North and Northeast, with less than 1% each. Brazil's South, Midwest and Southeast concentrate approximately 98% of the total number of soybean-producing properties. Before the floods that occurred in Rio Grande do Sul, the National Supply Company (Conab) had estimated the 2023/2024 soybean harvest in Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná at 22 million tons and 18 million tons, respectively. The two southern states combined (second and third largest producing ones) normally produce around 30% of the soybeans produced in Brazil “Most Brazilians are unaware that a large portion of the domestic soybean production comes from small rural properties, mostly located in the South,” Moraes observes. The survey Moraes elaborated also reveals that the intensive use of high technology in large soybean properties is also present in small soybean producing establishments. “The technological variables adopted in soybean farms in Brazil include the use of high-quality inputs like transgenic seeds, fertilizers and correctives, as well as the use of machinery and grain warehouses, among others,” Moraes reports. According to the researcher, several factors can shape the distribution of the size of rural establishments in a region: historical and cultural factors, availability and access to credit and financing, climate and weather conditions, access to agricultural technology and machinery, topography, and soil quality, among others. “An analysis of the sizes of rural establishments can have implications for the development of public policies, resource allocation and aid programs aimed at smallholdings, and contribute to identifying potential interventions or strategies that can help those farmers face challenges in production”. Soybean - According to Conab data, in the 2022/2023 crop year Brazil produced more than 150 million tons of soybeans, which keeps the country in a leading position in the global production of the grain, followed by the United States and Argentina. Currently, soybeans are cultivated in 20 states and the Distrito Federal, and the main producing states are: Mato Grosso, Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná, and Goiás. “Soybean cultivation is directly responsible for approximately 6% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and for around 25% of the agribusiness GDP, in addition to generating over 2.2 million jobs”, Nepomuceno asserts.