CAN SOYBEANS SAVE US FROM FAMINE?

 CAN SOYBEANS SAVE US FROM FAMINE?

The short answer is no—soybeans alone cannot save us from famine. There is no single “magic bullet” crop that can. But if we are honest about the realities of food security in 2026, soybeans may well be one of the most powerful tools we have in the global fight against hunger and famine.

First, we need to be clear about terms. Hunger and famine are not the same thing. Hunger is an everyday condition experienced by millions of individuals and families. Famine, on the other hand, is a catastrophic, society-wide collapse of food systems. Under international standards, famine is declared only when food shortages, severe child malnutrition, and rising death rates occur at the same time. By the time famine is officially declared, people have already started dying.

That is why prevention matters—and this is where soybeans come in.

Soybeans are not meant to replace rice, corn, or wheat. They are meant to complement them. Food security is not about one crop; it is about variety, flexibility, and resilience. In that mix, soybeans check many important boxes.

For one, soybeans are incredibly versatile. They can be turned into flour, and flour can be turned into bread, noodles, and other staples. They can be processed into tofu and textured vegetable protein (TVP), which can be cooked as proper dishes, not just side items. Soybeans can also be turned into soy milk, helping address protein and calorie deficiencies, especially among children.

Equally important is where soybeans can grow. Soybeans can thrive in areas where rice does not. They require far less water—roughly 600 to 900 liters of water per kilo of soybeans, compared to about 2,500 liters for rice. At a time when climate change, El Niño, and water scarcity are becoming the norm rather than the exception, that difference matters a lot. This also means soy does not compete with rice; it complements it.

Nutritionally, soybeans are hard to beat. They are one of the few plant foods that provide complete protein, containing all nine essential amino acids. They are also calorie-dense because of their healthy fat content. This is why soy is a core ingredient in Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), the life-saving paste used by humanitarian agencies to treat severely malnourished children. With soy-based RUTF, a child on the brink of death can recover in as little as six weeks.

Soybeans also help farmers. As legumes, they fix nitrogen in the soil, reducing the need for expensive chemical fertilizers. In Southeast Asia and parts of Africa, intercropping soy with corn has been shown to increase total yields per hectare by up to 60 percent. That is not theory—that is food on the table.

So if soybeans are this powerful, why do famines still happen?

Here lies the soy paradox. More than 70 percent of global soy production is fed to animals, not people. Feeding soy to livestock and then eating their meat is 10 to 15 times less efficient than eating soy directly. In a global food crisis, this is a luxury we may not be able to afford. Another challenge is processing. Raw soybeans contain anti-nutrients and must be cooked or fermented to be safe. In war zones and disaster areas, fuel and clean water are often scarce.

Still, these are solvable problems—policy problems, not agricultural ones.

If even a small portion of “feed soy” were redirected to “food soy,” the global protein gap could shrink dramatically. If governments invested more in soy processing, storage, and local production—especially in drought-prone areas—we could prevent many hunger crises from escalating into famine.

So, can soybeans save us from famine? Not by themselves. But combined with other crops, better policies, and smarter food systems, they might just help save millions of lives.

The real question is not whether soybeans can help. The real question is whether we are willing to change how we use them.

RAMON IKE V. SENERES

www.facebook.com/ike.seneres iseneres@yahoo.com senseneres.blogspot.com 09088877282/03-13-2027