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The University of Northampton has recently interviewed Milan Shah, a leading pulse and spice trader and a big pulse advocate, who also served as Director of the Grain and Feed Trade Association in the past. During the interview, Mr. Shah shared his excitement about the International Year of Pulses and explained the importance of it:
"When I was a student, there were over a billion chronically undernourished people in the world. Today there are approximately 800m in this category, but we now have 1.9 billion overweight adults as well. The social, political, economic and environmental ramifications are concerning to say the least. But what can we do? Acting alone, very little. But acting in concert, maybe we can move the needle in terms of impact." noted Mr. Shah.
Adding that "I’m really excited that the UN has dedicated 2016 as the International Year of Pulses, that’s peas, beans and lentils (before our paramedics get too excited). A high fibre, high protein food, full of vitamins that can be grown with minimal water and that actually puts nitrogen back into the soil as a natural fertilizer for subsequent crops. Good for consumers, good for farmers and good for the environment. It won’t solve the problem, but it will make a difference in the right direction. And that’s worth doing."
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Watch members of the 2016 International Year of Pulses talk to raise the profile of pulses and to celebrate the role of beans, chickpeas, lentils and other pulses in feeding the world. For this first round of videos we have National Representatives from Australia, Argentina (video in Spanish) and India.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos.
Join the conversation! Follow us on Twitter @YearofPulses
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Last week the famous Australian chef, Simon Bryant has shared his love for lentils at a local primary school in Australia, where he taught a very successful cooking lesson.
The students were keen to learn how to cook lentils from scratch, and were equipped with all the tools in the kitchen- like measuring cups and scales- to make a rich lentil dish.
Simon is a long time pulses advocate. "I've been called a bloody hippy, lentil eater for so many years," he declared back in 2011, "I believe in economical food, I believe that we can feed more people better.” Seems like his love for pulses has done nothing but increase!
Check out a video from the lesson and Simon’s Facebook profile where he talks about the event.
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Pulses are part of the World Fair of Milan 201. Not only at the menu in the gourmet area of the fair, but also in TV commercials.
Remo Pedon, General Director of Acos S.P.A, explains to Claudio Bisio (a famous italian actor) that his company not only brings lentils to the Expo, but that they export to 25 countries. Acos S.P.A a leader company in the production and sale of pulses, is a very active member of the Global Pulse Confederation, and is actively engaged in the celebration campaign for IYP 2016.
Check out the commercial here.
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Mark Your Calendars!
Pan-African Legume Research Conference and World Cowpea Research Conference
28 February- 4 March, 2016
Livingstone, Zambia
The Feed-the-Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Grain Legumes (Legume Innovation Lab), the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and the Pan-African Bean Research Alliance (PABRA), in partnership with the Zambian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, the Zambian Agriculture Research Institute (ZARI), and the Center for Coordination of Agricultural Research for Development in Southern Africa (CCARDESA), are pleased to announce the upcoming joint Pan-African Grain Legume Research Conference and World Cowpea Research Conference to be held in Livingstone, Zambia from 28 February to 4 March 2016.
In celebration of 2016 as the International Year of Pulses (IYP 2016) as designated by the United Nations, multi-sector representatives from around the world – from scientists and researchers to farmers, academics, students, and business people – engaged in various facets of cowpea and grain legume production, processing, and consumption are invited to participate in this joint conference to bring attention to the importance of pulses/grain legumes in improved nutrition and food security, sustainability of cropping systems, and the enhanced livelihoods on the African continent, all within the context of climate change.
This conference will gather the best and brightest from across Africa engaged in research from diverse disciplines focused on edible grain legume crops (e.g., cowpea, chickpea, common bean, pigeon pea, soybean, etc.) to share research findings, discuss agriculture sector development challenges, consider solutions and opportunities, and network and collaborate in pulse/grain legume research for a better future.
Find more information about the accommodation and registration here: http://iyp2016.org/events/event/5-panafrican-grain-legume-and-world-cowpea-conference
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Canadian students showcase the exciting potential of pulses in foods products
The Next Pulse & Special Crops Convention 2015 in Calgary next June 21-23 will have a special event that will highlight the potential of pulses in new products formulation.
Canadian students will have the opportunity to showcase their creations to help present pulses (peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas) as innovative food products and build awareness of the International Year of Pulses. Products should be “chef inspired”, convenient to eat and MUST showcase one or more Canadian pulses.
The students have presented extraordinary and creative products in the past years, and this 2015 seems like it won’t be different. Proposals include pulse wraps; a cake made with garbanzo and fava bean flour, pea protein and pea fibre, and “frosting” made with pea fiber; frozen appetizer made with fermented lentils and chickpeas, and many more.
On Tuesday June 23 from 8:30 - 10 a.m. come see and taste these delicious pulse creations made by Canadian post-secondary students. You can help crown one of them a national champion.
The Pulse & Special Crops Convention brings together pulse and special crops processors and exporters, service providers and buyers from around the world. In 2015, the conference theme is “It’s Our Time”. More information here: http://www.cvent.com/events/pulse-special-crops-convention-2015/event-summary-a41b34bcc333444fbeccb1c04bba82ac.aspx