Soy. The good, the bad, the ugly.

Im interested in learning some different perspectives on growing soy in a permaculture setting.  

It appears to be one of the most ancient species cultivated by people, and to this day it is a huge part of asian culture with all kinds of yummy fermented products. It has a high protein value, a nice balance of nutrients, it is a nitrogen fixer, and can be a good source of animal feed.

After reading that Paul doesn't want Soy included in the GAMCOD project (Growing a million calories on dirt), Im wanting to learn more on why this species should be avoided.

And under what circumstances could it be beneficial?  

I know its one of the top GMO crops that is associated with destroying a huge swath of natural landscape. Chemical agriculture at its finest.  But that's more of a choice of people issue, not so much the species itself.  

This comment from another thread was interesting:

Chris Kott wrote:I am not a fan of soy or tofu, but for the most part, that's just a culinary dislike, along with a general disfavour for a thing that requires so much processing, which becomes potentially dangerous in an industrial food setting.

So much about soy and tofu gets better if you're doing the processing yourself, at home. But some things do not.

Apparently, and I will try to find the article that mentioned this, soy fields are devoid of much of the life present in other crop situations because nothing sees it as food. That might be great from a pest perspective, as it would naturally require fewer to no pesticides to cultivate, from the conventional agriculture perspective, but it's not so good in terms of animal life down to the smallest level living adjacent to those fields.

Are there no other types of bean that can be used in the same way, one that, although perhaps still a result of the Columbian Exchange, has been accepted by microbial and other life here?

-CK

Here are a couple of other threads:

https://permies.com/t/15442/soybeans

https://permies.com/t/166619/Growing-soya-beans-edamame-pods

We eat soy...only organic, what is still, hopefully, non gmo as it is labeled.
I buy the whole beans and use them only for tempeh.

I think arguements I've heard against them have been about gmo contamination and whether there are any pure organic uncontaminated ones at all?

From what I've learned the only nutritionally good way to eat them is fermented in some way....not as milk or tofu or as additives to so much prepared foods.

I think Weston Price is against soybeans as food but I sensed that was old information?

Tempeh is a large affordable protein source in our mostly plant based diet.
We love it!

An added thought against unfermented soy (in this case fresh homemade soy milk) is how well it works as a binder for natural dyes

Here's what Azure says....

Azure Market Organics soybeans are round, pea-sized, and creamy yellow, with a nutty flavor and firm texture. They’re sometimes called the “meat of the soil” because they have the highest protein content of any bean—one cup of soybeans provides 67.9 grams of protein, or 136% of the daily value! Plus, they’re one of the few plant-based complete sources of protein, meaning they provide all nine essential amino acids (amino acids which the human body cannot synthesize).

Just to sweeten the deal, our organic soybeans are also a fantastic source of iron, calcium, fiber, and potassium, phosphorus, fat, lecithin, and vitamins A, B, and E. In fact, one cup of soybeans provides over 50% of the daily value for calcium, fiber, and potassium, and a whopping 152% of the daily value for iron! Talk about a nutritional powerhouse!

Soybeans are super versatile and used in tons of dishes, including tofu, soymilk, tempeh, fermented bean paste, and nattō, a dish made from whole fermented soybeans. They take a long time to cook—between 3 and 3 ½ hours—even after presoaking, but their versatility and high nutritional value make them well worth the wait! They can also be sprouted, and will put on hearty roots if a brick or weight is placed on them while sprouting.

Organic
Non-GMO
Product of the USA
Product meets or exceeds USDA guidelines. While we use the most modern equipment and standards when cleaning, processing, and packing this product, the contents of this bag are a natural product grown in the earth. It is not always possible to remove all foreign material. Please sort and rinse thoroughly before cooking.  

Arthur Wierzchos wrote:After reading that Paul doesn't want Soy included in the GAMCOD project (Growing a million calories on dirt), I'm wanting to learn more on why this species should be avoided.

As I understand it, Paul believes that literally all soy is patented by Monsanto and is therefore something he will not let his empire support.

...from Weston Price.

https://www.westonaprice.org/about-us/about-the-foundation/#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=Soy&gsc.sort=

https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/soy-alert/practice-safe-soy/#gsc.tab=0

  Less is more! Stick to small portions of the Good Old Soys  — Miso, Natto, Tempeh and unpasteurized Shoyu.   Old -fashioned fermenting makes these foods nutritious, delicious and healthful.  Few people are inclined to eat these foods to excess.   And a whole bowl only contains about a teaspoon or two of miso.