This post was written by Marie-Benoit Magrini, Economist at INRA.
Grown on less than 2% of arable land in France, pulse crops are not a common sight on French farms. Yet, pulse crops provide important benefits for agriculture and the environment. First, pulse crops can help in the fight against global warming by taking nitrogen from the air rather than from fertilizers, reducing emission of nitrous oxide, a powerful greenhouse gas. Indeed fertilizers, which enable high yields of major cereal crops such as wheat, barley or maize, are responsible for half of all agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. Secondly, by diversifying simplified farming systems (specialized around cereal crops), addition of pulse crops allows producers to use fewer agri-chemicals and reduce environmental impact. Moreover, pulses have many functional and nutritional properties both as feed for animals and food for people.
Despite these significant benefits, pulse production in France continues to fall. So, what is the problem? Of course, there are several problems, but I will address three of major ways that pulse benefits are under-appreciated.
We know from a recent survey that, at farm level, most French farmers do not consider the ‘real’ economic margin that pulse crops provide.* The annual gross margin for pulses is on the order of 2 to 6 times less than that for major crops. But this ‘opportunity cost’ of including pulses in crop rotations is reduced when the inter-annual net margin is factored in, since with pulses in the rotation farmers can save nitrogen fertilizers and see higher yields and higher quality in subsequent crops (e.g. more protein in wheat).
Few farms have access to technical advising that would help them to properly evaluate multi-year net profits that can accrue from adding pulses to cropping systems. As a result, the economic gain associated with pulse crops often goes unseen. Even when residual benefits to subsequent crops are accounted for, it may not appear sufficient to motivate farmers to grow pulse crops. This is particularly true when wheat prices are high and fertilizer prices are low. For organic producers, the difference of yields and prices between cereals and pulses can be less important. Yet, for most farmers, larger value addition is needed before taking on pulse cropping. This may arise from better evaluation of environmental benefits and also from new markets for pulses.
Under-appreciation of pulse crops results, in part, from what economists call “environmental externalities.” That is, the environmental benefits of growing pulse crops (for instance the reduction of GHG emissions) are not transmitted into market prices and this is a major challenge for attributing the correct economic value of these environmental services. Domestic carbon markets could help in assigning values to environmental benefits as the French InVivo cooperatives have done since 2011. Environmental services payments for farmers applying good agricultural practices could also be a useful lever.
The weak appeal of pulse crops for French farmers compared to cereals is also due to a competitiveness differential between cereals and pulses that has its roots in an historical European preference after the Second World War II: pulses were considered almost exclusively as animal feed, placing them in direct competition with soybean meal imported from America, which provides cheap protein in large quantities. This orientation, driven by public institutions, has meant that research and private stakeholders have neglected to promote pulses in higher value markets for human consumption.
So, the challenge is to create new markets for pulse crops and this may be aided by the transition towards a new nutritional equilibrium between vegetable and animal proteins. However, pulses have traditionally been called ‘the poor person’s meat.’ According to a survey of consumption in France, pulses are seen as ‘old-fashioned’ and changing lifestyles that favor fast-cooking foods have made them less attractive. Therefore, consumer demand for pulses may require food innovations that make pulse consumption easier. For instance, INRA (the French national research institute on agriculture and food) has recently obtained a European patent on pasta made with pulse flour .
So, what can we learn from the story of pulses? Pulse crops have been marginalized by the ‘lock-in’ created by two major factors over the last seven decades: the trend in cropping systems toward homogenization and intensive use of agrochemical inputs paired with public policies and market dynamics that heavily promoted cereals. The push to gain the environmental benefits from diversification of crop systems and the agri-food sector faces competition from the higher economic returns farmers perceive for major crops. To bring them back into center stage, renewed appreciation for pulses is needed both at the upstream and the downstream side of food supply chains.
*A survey conducted with the French National Research Program LEGITIMES (LEGume Insertion in Territories to Induce Main Ecosystem Services) ANR-13-AGRO-0004, https://www6.inra.fr/legitimes.
Report on sustainability attributes of pulse crops released today.
April 21, 2016 – As part of the 2016 International Year of Pulses, a new report on the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of pulse crops was released today. Grounded in two comprehensive regional case studies, the report offers a framework for evaluating the sustainability dividends that can accrue from adding peas, beans, chickpeas, lentils, and other pulses into cropping systems.
Scientists around the world have built an impressive array of pulse crop studies that make a strong case for adding pulses into cropping systems. Pulses can provide a basket of welcome benefits including reduced nitrogen fertilizer and water needs, higher overall farm yields and profitability, improved soil health, and increased household dietary diversity. Across the many different farm systems that are suitable for growing pulses, producers need tools for anticipating which of these benefits are likely to materialize.
The tremendous diversity of pulse crops and the farming systems that produce them is a major asset to this high-protein food group when it comes to dealing with rapidly changing production conditions. But this diversity makes it challenging to easily assess the impact of adding pulses to any particular cropping system.
The report, “Pulse crops and sustainability: A framework to evaluate multiple benefits,” was commissioned by the Global Pulse Confederation and prepared by Gabrielle Kissinger of Lexeme Consulting. It surveys a rich body of scientific literature related to pulses in general and also focuses specifically on two case study areas, Saskatchewan, Canada and sub-Saharan Africa. Based on this evidence review, the report defines the key sustainability attributes to measure for assessing the economic, social, and environmental benefits of pulse production in different geographic, ecological, and economic contexts.
The framework is intended for use by farmers considering integrating pulses into their operations as well as by food companies considering expanding the representation of pulse crops in their product lines. It is also a resource for national governments, international agencies, research institutions, and other organizations that create policies or deliver programs that seek to expand global pulse production and consumption.
A farm’s location and access to adequate information, finance, inputs, and markets will have important implications for whether pulses will be grown, as well as the variety, technologies, and practices used. These factors will also influence how growing pulses contributes to sustainability of the farm and the surrounding landscape. For example, in Saskatchewan, which produces more than 95% of Canada’s lentil and chickpea crop, pulses have been widely introduced into cereal-fallow rotations to solve pest and disease outbreaks and has enabled broad adoption of conservation tillage, better water management, and reduced fertilizer nitrogen requirements. In contrast, in sub-Saharan Africa, where demand for pulses is rising rapidly, most pulse producers have weak access to quality seeds and other inputs and are increasingly confronted by increased water and temperature stress.
By compiling the key sustainability attributes of pulse crops into a simple framework, this report has made anticipating the full set of benefits from growing pulses a lot easier.
For more information, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Report written by Andrew Jacobs - Global Pulse Confederation Oversight group.
The Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture hosted an international conference on the role of Pulses for Health, Nutrition and Sustainable Agriculture in Drylands - well attended by 340 delegates from 36 different countries. There was a strong theme of knowledge sharing, as experts from academia, research and production came together in a spirit of open collaboration, sharing the aim of promoting best practices, which in turn addresses the needs of the "Hidden Hungry" and rural poor. The event was co-sponsored by ICARDA, IFAD, CGIAR, FAO, OCP and INRA.
During the opening ceremony, Margret Thalwitz (Chair of Board of ICARDA) set the scene, describing pulses as "Climate Smart & Future Crops" which thrive in water-starved climates thanks to their natural resilience. It was noted that pulses are the critical staple food for over 1bln people and are recognised as replacement for animal protein, yet Pulses remain a neglected 'Orphan Crop', under-utilised with rather meagre funding for research. Whilst average pulse yields have increased 35% in the past 40 years, this is still inadequate as demand for pulses outstrips supply (in same period, cereal yields increased 300%). Margret rallied her audience, stating "We need to turn the page on pulses, we need to demonstrate to the world the important role pulses can play, so pulses become a sought-after crop"
OCP Foundation called for adoption of improved, shared technologies whilst IFAD expressed, in partnership with ICARDA, their determination to improve low-yielding varieties for the benefit of small holder farmers. CGIAR focused on improvements in natural resource management and nutrition to meet Sustainable Development goals, calling pulses 'Smart Food'.
The Key Note address was given by Rattan Lal, distinguished Professor of Soil Science at Ohio State University - delivered with enthusiasm and a tangible passion for pulses. Professor Lal took us on an intriguing journey from 8,000 BC through to his own future vision. In reference to the increasing world population (from 7.3bln now to projected 9.7bln by 2050) he warned us "There are 2.4bln guests coming to dinner, invited by us; and we have to make sure we provide food for them". This against a background of 10% of arable land lost to agriculture by 2030 due to urbanisation and a world where water is being over-drawn, causing increase in water scarcity from currently affecting 2.3bln people to estimated 3.5bln people by 2025.
But Professor Lal was optimistic, insisting the world currently produces enough food to feed 10bln people. What we have to do is "produce more from less" starting with taking personal responsibility for reducing waste (30%-50% of food produced doesn't get eaten).
He urged the need for "sustainable intensification" so in future we produce more crops from less land, producing "more per drop of water" whilst limiting input of synthetic fertilizers.
This requires sustainable Soil Management, replacing what is removed by extractive farming so we avoid irreversible degradation and loss of soil resilience, which otherwise would result in 'extinct soils'.
Professor Lal stated "Pulses in rotation can 'produce more from less', playing an important role in UN Sustainable Development goals". He shared some of his 'out of the box' futuristic solutions:
Professor Lal concluded with his 2050 vision: "Pulses can play a significant role in 'sustainable intensification' in a world of nutrition-sensitive and climate-resilient agriculture"
Professor Joshi from IFPRI drew attention to reduced per capita consumption of Pulses in India, declining from 10kg in 1961 to 6.5kg in 2011, hence the 'Hidden Hungry'. He also highlighted the need to address the "yield gap" where Canada produces 2.2nd/ha of pulses, global norm is 1.2mt/ha whilst developing world producing under 500kg/ha (Ethiopia and Myanmar however achieve better yields). If India were to successfully solve yield gap, their production would jump from 17mln to 26mln MT p.a. He highlighted inequality in terms of trade: Developed world accounts for 65% of global exports whilst developing world accounts for 82% of imports. Global pulse exports are dominated by just 5 countries who between them account for 75% of global exports: Canada, USA, Australia, Myanmar and China. Similarly global pulse imports are donated by a few big players: India, China, Egypt & Bangladesh.
Another impressive Key Note address was given by ICARDA's Professor Sohl who focused on sustainable productivity intensification gains if RICE FALLOW is double or treble cropped. Indian Rice is grown July-Oct and fallow can be avoided if pulses are grown Nov-Feb and Sesame March-May. This potentially brings 11mln ha in India into increased productivity, potentially increasing farmer revenues at current market prices by Rupee 30,000/ha ($450/ha), as well as pulse nitrogen fixation boosting yield of subsequent rice crop. Bangladesh has 1.2mln ha of Rice Fallow where bio-fortified Lentils are being grown to counter anemia in children and reversing arsenic poisoning from contaminated ground waters. In Nepal, 'no till drill' techniques have been adopted, where 800,000 farmers are drilling seed directly into rice fallow stubble which gains time and increases the soil's bio-mass, benefiting follow-on cereal crops.
Professor Sohl talks of Grasspea as a miracle crop, being tolerant to water logging as well as drought resistant. Grasspea cultivation will be encouraged once breeders can multiply low neurotoxin Grasspea varieties, as farmers love Grasspea due limited inputs and hardy traits. He ended his presentation urging the following actions
News was shared that Indian authorities had on April 17th launched Commodity Exchanges in 20 regional markets to increase market transparency & help farmers with price discovery. They plan to increase this to 200 markets in 2017 and all 600 regional markets by 2021. Chickpeas are one of the crops covered by the new exchanges.
Dil Thavarajah from Clemson University, USA promoted the role pulses can play meeting WHO global targets of 40% reduction in child stunting, 50% reduction in anemia & 30% reduction in low birth weight. She commented on obesity becoming a major global health problem, stating "What you eat in private, you will wear in public". She urged 'breaking down the silos' between nutritionists, plant breeders and growers to make human health the clear goal in food systems, promoting practices that increase nutritional outputs in a sustainable way. "Choose foods that are ingredients, not full of ingredients".
Dil has been instrumental in iron bio-fortification of Lentil Dahls and promoting Saskatchewan high selenium Lentils. She urged participants to report nutrient bio-availability on cooked pulses, not on dry pulses.
Michael Blummel of International Livestock Research Institute illustrated the cross-discipline collaborative nature of the event when he presented on the competitive advantage of pulse crop residues (pod and straw) in feed and fodder. He urged partnership with plant breeders on "whole plant improvements" so breeders do not only focus on pod yield, but consider value of crop residue in livestock feeding.
Other key points raised include:
This event was characterised by openness and willingness to share knowledge in the common pursuit of promoting pulses, the "Food of the Future".
Taylor & Francis, an academic journals publishing company, has created a webpage in honor of the International Year of Pulses. This webpage will share scientific research articles highlighting the health and environmental benefits of eating and growing pulses free until the end of the year. Taylor & Francis will be sharing this free research with academics in the field via social media and email campaigns.
Check out their webpage here!
2016 International Conference on Pulses for Health, Nutrition and Sustainable Agriculture in Drylands opened today.
April 18, 2016, Rabat, Morocco - The 2016 International Conference on Pulses for Health, Nutrition and Sustainable Agriculture in Drylands opened today in Marrakesh, Morocco. The conference schedule’s key feature included a first-of-its-kind high level panel discussion about enhancing policy frameworks that would enable targeted research in pulses for better nutrition and climate change adaptation through “sustainable intensification”, an approach linked to producing more food with less natural resources. Pulses are highly nutritious food legumes, often referred to as perfect food.
Representatives from top international agricultural organizations, including the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Global Pulses Confederation, the OCP Foundation and the CGIAR Grain-Legumes Research Program discussed the importance of pulses for the global food security alongside policy-makers and leaders of national agriculture research organizations, scientists, private sector representatives, donors and farmers.
The panel resulted in a jointly stated goal by all participants to work together to “enhance political and financial investment in sustainable intensification of pulses”. Pulses, which are high in protein and form the bases of diets of millions would need an enabling policy environment to meet the current and future food security challenges as their consumption is estimated to increase by 23% in the next 15 years. Based on the estimated population in 2020 and 2030, and based on the last 10-year trend growth in global consumption, the demand for pulses for these two years would increase to 75.9 million tons in 2020, and 81.9 in 2030, from the current level of a little over 70 million. The panel concluded that “through improved policies and investments in pulses research, the rising global gap between the demand and supply of pulses could be bridged.”
“This pulses conference is truly an incredible knowledge exchange platform for all stakeholders in the pulses sector. The goal here is to foster dialogue and create business and research links throughout the entire pulses value chain. Of course, everything about pulses promotes their key attributes, which help countries around the globe – in improving soil fertility, nutrition, and health,” says Périn Saint Ange, Associate Vice-President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
The panel also discussed subsistence farming in developing countries versus a market-driven approach in developed countries, as well as climatic conditions and the level of infrastructure development, which have resulted in wide variation in yields across countries. Some of the major factors affecting yield are climate change, soil conditions, varieties, investment in mechanization, irrigation, pest management and other farming methods.
Under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Kingdom of Morocco, ICARDA is organizing the International Pulses Conference in collaboration with the Institute National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA - Morocco), OCP, IFAD, the CGIAR Research Program on Grain-Legumes and FAO.
The conference is a part of the UN’s International Year of Pulses (IYP) events aimed at heightening public awareness of the nutritional benefits of pulses as part of sustainable food production and food and nutrition security. About 300 participants are attending from all parts of the world for this three-day event, which ends on April 20, 2016.
Another goal of the conference is expand pulse research networks and boost their recognition by international donors. Dr Mahmoud Solh, Director General of ICARDA, is clear on the possibilities, “This conference hopes to reinforce the South-South dialogue [collaboration between developing countries of the Southern Hemisphere] and science synergies, in particular with young scientists from pulses growing countries. Plus, we want to develop an improved image of pulses worldwide as climate resilient , nutrient rich, and environmentally friendly crops.” Solh, calls pulses “climate smart crops”, as they substantially contribute to soil health and water use efficiencies.
The UN is focusing in 2016 on three common types of pulses: beans, chickpeas, and lentils. Each have promising traits that have been gaining attention of governments around the world, including incredible water efficiency - 1kg of ‘daal’ (split peas or lentils) requires approximately 2 percent of the water it takes to produce 1kg of chicken and 0.04 percent of 1kg of beef. (Source: FAO).
“The UN’s International Year of the Pulses enables us to promote pulses via networking with media and gatekeepers; this conference is an integral part of the plan. With the media’s support, we can further develop pulses’ potential for improving food security and incomes, particularly for women, through exchange of scientific and market information,” states Riccardo Del Castello, Communication for Development Officer for the FAO.
The scientific program of the conference is structured around oral presentations from renowned scientists and researchers, university professors, and industry leaders from a variety of segments in the global pulses industry, representing almost 40 different countries.
Andrew Jacobs, Board Member of the Global Pulse Confederation (GPC) and President of the Sustainable Agriculture Fund, states, “The pulse industry is now worth over USD $100 billion at the retail level, with over 60 million tons in pulse production and distribution in over 55 countries. The GPC represents the common good and encourages transparency for the entire pulses value chain - from growers and researchers, to input and logistics suppliers, traders, exporters and importers to government bodies, processors, canners and consumers. Our vision is to create an inclusive global pulse organization that can work to resolve issues and grow the industry.”
Key topics throughout the week are farming and industry issues, including global pulses market requirements and productivity management of pulses. Additionally, climate related issues, including soil health, environmental management, and increasing nitrogen fixation, plus global health, nutrition, and gender issues will be strongly represented. Lastly, innovations in pulses genomics, breeding, and biotic and abiotic stress management will be highlighted. Conference attendees will also participate in a field visit to view research experiments on pulse crops at the ICARDA/INRA Marchouch Research Station and on farmers’ fields.
The event can be followed online using #TalkPulses and at www.icarda.org/pulses
See the full Conference Program and Biographies
For more information, contact Abdel Malik Zirari at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Andrea Gros at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Global demand for pulses is rapidly increasing. Pulses are emerging as ‘future food’ in developed and many African countries. For South Asia region, pulses are traditionally important food commodities and cheap sources of protein. The region is now experiencing shortages of pulses and causing increase in imports. The challenge is to increase pulses production efficiently not only to meet the domestic requirement in the region but also supply for new consumers in developed and African countries.
To address this issue, a conference will be organised on 31 May-1 June 2016 in New Delhi, India. The conference is jointly organised by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), and TCi of Cornell University (TCi-CU).
Call for Abstracts
Participate in the conference and submit abstracts in any of the following topics by 30 April 2016:
Theme 1: Pulses production, consumption and environmental services
Theme 2: Pulses prices and markets
Theme 3: Policies and institutions
Theme 4: Pulses for human health
Selected abstracts will be included in the conference, and travel grant will be supported for participation. Submission deadline is 30 April 2016.
You can send in the abstract to Vaishali Dassani (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).