Cropping
Green beans:
why pulses are the
eco-friendly option for
feeding - and saving -
the world
We all know the score: current trends
40% of the original protein.
consumption and embrace other
predict there will be 9.7 billion
Consequently, livestock farming
sources of protein.
mouths to feed by 2050. Producing
requires huge amounts of water and
enough food without using more
land for grazing and feed production,
Pulses are a healthy alternative
land, exacerbating climate change or
taking up an estimated 70% of all
Enter the pulses: beans, peas and
putting more pressure on water, soil
agricultural land and 27% of the
lentils. Although generally cheaper
and energy reserves will be
human water footprint. Much of this
than meat, these are rich sources of
challenging.
land is becoming steadily degraded
protein and also come with essential
In the past, food security researchers
through overgrazing and erosion,
micronutrients including iron, zinc,
have focused on production with less
prompting farmers to expand into
magnesium and folate. As low GI
attention paid to consumer demand
new areas; 70% of cleared forest in
(glycaemic index) foods, they release
and how food is ultimately used in
the Amazon, for instance, is now
their energy slowly over time,
meals. However as developing
pastureland. Livestock production is
preventing surges in blood glucose.
nations aspire towards the “Western
also one of the greatest contributors
Naturally gluten-free, they are also
diet”, demand for meat and animal
to greenhouse gas emissions,
ideal for the rising numbers of those
products is rapidly climbing.
including 65% of man-made nitrous
with coeliac disease.
This is bad news for the planet. Meat
oxide emissions (which have a global
Besides being rich in goodness, pulses
is a luxury item and comes at a huge
warming potential 296 times greater
are also low in many undesirables
environmental cost. Shuttling crops
than CO ).
including cholesterol, fat and sodium,
through animals to make protein is
Nevertheless, millions of people in
which all contribute to heart and
highly inefficient: in US beef, just 5%
developing countries still suffer from
blood issues. In fact, pulses seem to
of the original protein survives the
protein malnutrition. The burden,
actively protect against these
journey from animal feed to meat on
therefore, must fall on people in
maladies. Numerous studies confirm
the plate. Even milk, which has the
richer nations to reduce their meat
legume-rich diets can decrease
best conversion efficiency, has just
July - August 2016
[42]FARMERS
REVIEW AFRICA
www.farmersreviewafrica.com