Months of hard work and great collaborations between all the IYP2016 partners made January 6th a remarkable starting point for the International Year of Pulses.

From Canada to France, through Mexico, the US, UK and Mauritania, the many different celebrations made Pulse Feast a day to remember.

A few numbers to give you a glimpse of the tremendous success? 141 events in 36 countries! And, thanks to Thunderclap we had the #PulseFeast tag trending all over social media platforms with 21 million posts!

A quick glance at our coverage shows that all the continents were on board for Pulse Feast:

  • Oceania – 9 events:  Australia (7), New Zealand (2)
  • Asia – 13 events: China (2), India (5), Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore (2)
  • Near East – 6 events: Bahrain, UAE, Lebanon, Turkey (3 events)
  • Europe – 14 events:  Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands (2), Spain, Sweden, Russia, UK (6)
  • Africa – 7 events:  Kenya, Malawi, Mauritania, Morocco, South Africa (3)
  • North America – 49 events:  Canada (33), USA (19)
  • Latin America and Caribbean – 8 events:  Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Peru (2), Cuba, Mexico (2), Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic

Pulse Feast had been a great beginning of what is going to be a key year to make a global difference in the pulse value chain. In that regard, in order to promote the global production and consumption of pulses around the world, the International Year of Pulses will tackle key challenges through numerous signature events during the year.

The next events in line are already scheduled for February:

  • The Pulse Conclave in India will promote the global pulses trade and industry
  • The PanAfrican Grain Legume and World Cowpea Conference in Zambia

We hope that all these efforts from all the key stakeholders of the pulse industry, small farmers or bigger producers will contribute to make a difference in a global effort to fight hunger and enhance the quality of nutrition around the world.