Runoff resulting from soybean production can include high levels of agrochemicals, suspended soil, and organic matter. This can be a major source of freshwater and groundwater contamination.
Elsewhere in the world the major environmental problems associated with soybean production include the conversion of natural habitat, soil erosion, and the ever increasing use of pesticides.
Credits
Extracts from "World Agriculture & Environment" by Jason Clay - buy the book online from Island Press
Introduction
In the United States and the European Union, the production of soybeans poses a few rather distinct environmental problems.
These have to do with the use of agrochemicals in production and the degradation of soil through the use of chemicals, erosion, or compaction.