(Photo: Iowa Soybean Association / Joclyn Bushman)
WISHH highlights the value of U.S. soybeans to underserved markets
March 3, 2025 | Jeff Hutton
Driving demand, growing new and expanding markets, fostering business and feeding the world.
That’s at the heart of the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) as they continue to promote and tout the benefits of soy to those around the globe, helping both farmers and consumers.
During a recent webinar, WISHH’s Morey Hill, Gena Perry and Tony Mellenthin examined seven global trends for the future.
Perry, WISHH’s executive director, says the organization is committed to the development of agricultural value chains in new and emerging markets while creating trade and long-term demand for U.S. soy.
“We’re taking a long-term approach in growing markets in Africa, Asia and Latin America,” she says.
Key trend 1
Developing economies are growing economies
Perry says markets where soy is making a difference — like Tanzania, Nigeria and other African countries — must remain a focus.
“The continent of Africa has really been affected by the war in Ukraine,” she says, noting that U.S. soy is helping to meet the food challenges faced by those in need.
And in southeast Asia, Perry cited Cambodia, which
is projected to see 6% population growth over the next several years.
Key trend 2
Growing populations are driving demand for protein
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the demand for animal protein is expected to double by 2050.
“These consumers are really hungry for protein — soy, fish and poultry,” Perry says. “That’s a lot of opportunity for U.S. soy to step forward.”
Hill, the current WISHH chairman and soybean
farmer from Madrid, Iowa, says this is a prime opportunity for producers.
“As countries and economies grow, people just want to eat better,” he says. “We can help teach them the value of soy in their diets and raise their standard of living.
“What’s rewarding is that WISHH educates and demonstrates how to be more self-reliant. Anything we
can do to help people eat and live better is critical.”
Key Trend 3
Next generation entrepreneurs are key partners
Mellenthin, a Wisconsin soybean farmer, United Soybean Board member and WISHH/ASA ex-officio member, says the labor force in Africa alone is expected to increase dramatically.
Places like Nigeria and Ghana, where 60% of those populations are under 25 years of age, are being targeted by WISHH in the creation of jobs for young people in agriculture that align with WISHH’s goals.
“I think a common theme is the partnerships we have .— strategic alignments among multiple partnerships,” Mellenthin says, pointing to the implementation of internship programs that utilize soy-based feed throughout the world.
Key Trend 4
The rise of aquaculture
“Aquaculture has really taken off around the world,” Perry says. “These countries are shifting from traditional fishing to on-land fishing and so we see that aquaculture is the world’s fastest expanding food production system.”
She remarked how fish, requiring soy-based feed, is an imperative to feeding markets globally.
“Cambodians eat a lot of fish,” Perry says. “The annual consumption there is 127 pounds per person per year. And that means high-quality feed and improvements to post-harvesting and processing.”
Key Trend 5
The availability of commercial feed pellets is at a bottleneck
In addition to helping entrepreneurs learn how to better use water resources, Hill says WISHH is also showing how the use of soymeal can improve diets and feed rations.
“Fish have a better rate of gain — less waste, less disease .— thanks to the use of soymeal,” he says.
As demand grows, the supply chain needs to “catch up,” Perry says. She says WISHH is working with feed mills by educating operators on the value of U.S. soybeans, which will lead to raising better fish while also helping them with availability and what works economically.
Key Trend 6
Building stability leads to better markets, which leads to better trade
All of this, of course, is dependent on getting U.S. soy to those in other parts of the planet. That means trade.
“WISHH and U.S. soy can help deliver prosperity across the globe with our products,” Mellenthin says. “Ten percent of the world’s population goes hungry. U.S. soy, through WISHH, can head that off in a safer, stronger political environment.”
By promoting stronger trade, Mellenthin says those efforts can help get a foot into those expanding countries, which promotes stability and improves geopolitical issues.
Key Trend 7
The addition of soy to cereal-based foods
“WISHH is working with food manufacturers in those developing countries looking to fortify foods that are typically consumed (in Africa, Asia and Latin America),” says Perry.
“As WISHH works in these countries, we teach them the value of soy in their diets,” says Hill. “As a soybean producer, naturally we would like to see more trade with those countries. Of the travels I’ve been on, it’s a nice feeling to know that whatever you’re doing, these countries do remember WISHH.”
Hill, Perry and Mellenthin says the return on investment for WISHH and American soybean producers
is becoming more evident.
“When you see that lightbulb go off with these countries .— the producers, feed manufacturers — that’s when we’ll see the value of U.S. soy at work,” says Mellenthin.
Perry acknowledged price sensitivities in these emerging markets.
“U.S. soy is typically more expensive, but we’re working through the value chain on financing, working in collaboration with multiple partners,” she says.
Hill says WISHH is in the business of education and demonstrating the value of soy better than any other organization.
“The best analogy I can come up with is the old saying, ‘Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach them to fish and you feed them for a lifetime.’ WISHH is there for the long haul.”
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