Foreign Demand, Soy Exports, and Deforestation
Léa Crepin  1, 2@  , Clément Nedoncelle  1@  
1 : Paris-Saclay Applied Economics  (UMR PSAE)
AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement
22 place de l'Agronomie CS 20040 91123 Palaiseau cedex -  France
2 : Chaire Economie du Climat  (CEC)
Université Paris Dauphine-PSL
Palais Brongniart 28 Place de la Bourse4ème étage75002 Paris -  France

The current paper aims to assess the credibility of demand-side policies to curb deforestation. We tackle this question focusing on the Brazilian soy sector, as conversion from forests to soyproducing areas is a major driver of deforestation. We estimate a firm-level gravity model relating soy exports to destination-specific soy demand. First, we estimate a positive elasticity of soy exports to foreign demand, which confirms the credibility of demand-side policies. Second, we document that the average response hides significant heterogeneities across exporters and across municipalities. Combining export elasticities with soy expansion possibilities, demand-side policies could hence avoid aggregate deforestation, particularly in regions proximate to the Amazon.


Online user: 4 Privacy
Loading...