Embrapa Soja celebrates 50 years with a series of commemorative actions

On April 16, 2025, Embrapa Soja, a unit of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, turns 50 with a series of commemorative actions to celebrate its contribution to the development of soybeans in Brazil, currently the world's largest soybean producer with 167 million tons, in the 2024/25 harvest, according to estimates by the National Supply Company (Conab).

As part of the celebrations, Embrapa Soja is organizing a publication that will address the relevance of soybeans, the contribution of Embrapa and its partners to Brazilian soybean farming, as well as thinking about and designing the future of research and new paths for this crop. It has also created a hotsite that brings together a history of its work, based on a timeline, as well as the main current lines of research and the history of soybean farming, with indications of free publications to download here. 

Commemorative events - On May 26, at the Embrapa Soja headquarters in Londrina (PR), at 13:30 p.m., the workshop Embrapa Soja 50 years: history and perspectives will be held, the objective of which is to discuss the role of Embrapa Soja in Brazil's leadership in global soybean production, as well as technological development and innovation as a basis for maintaining the productive sustainability of Brazilian soybeans. The event is open to the public, upon registration on the Embrapa Soja website.

From July 21 to 24, 2025, Embrapa Soja will hold the X CBSoja and Mercosoja 2025 (CBSoja), in Campinas (SP), with the theme 100 years of soybeans in Brazil: pillars for tomorrow. In its tenth edition, the Congress will celebrate Embrapa Soja's 50th anniversary and discuss the main pillars of the production chain, focusing on adding value and developing sustainable agriculture, based on technology and digital innovation. The initial schedule and registration are available on the event website. 

Historical contributions

When Embrapa Soja was created in 1975, Brazil was a food importer and the country’s soybean production was approximately 10 million tons. “The increase in Brazilian production over the last 50 years has been based on science and innovation. Brazil is now able to produce more in less space and with great efficiency and competitiveness,” highlights the general manager of Embrapa Soja, Alexandre Nepomuceno. 

According to Nepomuceno, in 1975, Embrapa Soja had the purpose of developing technologies for soybean production in Brazil, but the institution became a world reference in research for the crop in tropical regions. “Until 1970, commercial soybean plantations in the world were restricted to temperate and subtropical climates, whose latitudes were close to or above 30º. Embrapa Soja researchers and their partners broke this barrier by developing varieties adapted to tropical conditions with low latitudes”, says Nepomuceno. Embrapa Soja played a leading role in the development of Brazilian soybeans, so much so that, in 50 years, the institution developed around 440 soybean cultivars. To support genetic improvement programs, Embrapa Soja has one of the largest active soybean germplasm banks in the world - a collection of seeds with more than 65 thousand soybean accessions.

In addition to the development of cultivars, a system for the production of tropical soybeans was created. “This includes recovery/maintenance of soil fertility, crop management techniques, control of weeds and pests and diseases, improvement of seed quality, among others. This set of technologies has enabled the agricultural sustainability of soybean cultivation in Brazil,” reinforces Nepomuceno.

The adoption of Integrated Insect Management (IPM-Soy), for example, allows the use of insecticides to be reduced by 50% in crops, ensuring greater profitability for soybean farmers, in addition to greater environmental preservation, explains Nepomuceno. Another contribution to the soybean production system was inoculation with N-fixing bacteria (rhizobia). In 2023 alone, this solution provided an estimated savings of 25 billion dollars, by eliminating the use of nitrogen fertilizers. Embrapa Soja estimates this value considering the soybean area, soybean production, the cost of fertilizer (urea), and the efficiency of nitrogen fertilizer use. In 2014, Embrapa Soja identified another beneficial bacteria that stimulates soybean growth (Azospirillum). The combination of these bacteria results in productivity gains of around 16% per year. Biological nitrogen fixation used in soybean crops also allows for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. 

“Concern for the sustainability of production systems has always been a priority that guides the actions of the soybean production chain,” reinforces Nepomuceno. “In addition, our research is aimed at increasing productivity while rationalizing costs, allowing producers to obtain adequate income, food security and social benefits,” he says.

Embrapa Soja also has a strong contribution to the implementation of public policies, such as the Agricultural Zoning of Climate Risk (ZARC-Soja), the soybean sanitary gap, regulations in the area of ​​seed and grain quality and the regulation of tank mixtures of pesticides, among other actions.  

Embrapa Soybeans in the 21st Century - To contribute to the sustainability of soybean production, Embrapa is currently strengthening its actions in four research areas: Advanced Genetics, Bioinputs, Low Carbon Soybeans and Digital Agriculture. Research is being directed to increase the participation of biological inputs in the control of insect pests and diseases and in promoting plant growth, as well as the replacement of non-renewable fertilizers with biologically based inputs.

In the first decades of this century, molecular biology and genetic engineering have been producing changes in the development of new soybean cultivars. Researchers at Embrapa Soja have been using selection assisted by molecular markers in plant breeding to develop cultivars, which provides maximum efficiency, speed and low cost. “The use of gene editing allows rapid advances in genetic improvement for a wide range of characteristics, such as, for example, improving the quality of oil and protein, as well as resistance to diseases, soybean cultivars that are more tolerant to adverse climate conditions,” explains Nepomuceno. 

In addition, different technologies aim to contribute to the conservation of environmental resources and the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. The Low Carbon Soy Program, for example, is creating guidelines and protocols to certify the sustainability of Brazilian soybean production, making tangible qualitative and quantitative aspects of emissions and carbon sequestration in the grain production process. It is based on measuring the benefits and certifying production practices that demonstrably reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Digital transformation is another area of ​​research that has been bringing changes to the field, through connectivity solutions, remote sensing, sensors, drones, among others. “Digital agriculture enhances crop planning and monitoring, rationalization in the use of inputs, facilitating and increasing the efficiency of producers in their decisions, allowing for increased productivity and profitability”, argues Nepomuceno.

Embrapa Soybean Profile

Embrapa Soja is one of Embrapa's 43 research units. Founded on April 16, 1975, in Londrina (PR), Embrapa Soja has a history based on the development of technological solutions for soybean cultivation. Embrapa Soja defends and provides guidance on responsible management practices that range from sowing to post-harvesting of soybeans. The technologies are used to ensure the sustainability of production systems and meet the needs of different profiles and sizes of agricultural properties, contributing to the profitability of producers and thus generating benefits for society as a whole. Embrapa Soja also encourages the development of wheat in Paraná, São Paulo and Mato Grosso do Sul and has made an important contribution to the establishment of sunflower cultivation in Brazil. 

Its headquarters, located in the Warta district, has 22.390 m2 of built area, divided into 34 greenhouses, 34 laboratories, an auditorium with support rooms, a library, a restaurant, a garage for vehicles and agricultural machinery, support sheds, an experimental kitchen and administrative buildings. Embrapa Soja also has two experimental fields: Fazenda Maravilha (Londrina-PR), where research is conducted in the area of ​​Crop-Livestock-Forest Integration (ILPF) and soil management, and Fazenda Modelo, located in Ponta Grossa (PR), where genetic improvement and seed production activities are carried out. Embrapa Soja currently has 252 employees, including 61 researchers, the majority of whom have doctorates and post-doctorates in various areas of knowledge.