Scientists call for more bean and lentil production in Europe

A study titled 'Legume-Modified Rotations Deliver Nutrition With Lower Environmental Impact' published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems reveals that incorporating more legumes like beans and lentils into European agriculture could be a more sustainable and nutritious approach. The research is the first to provide comprehensive evidence that including legumes in typical crop rotations can lead to significant environmental benefits and increased nutritional value for both human and livestock diets. This could potentially support the European Union Green Deal's objectives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, pesticide use, and synthetic fertilizer use. Despite legumes being a rich source of essential nutrients, they only occupy 1.5% of European arable land, contrasting the global average of 14.5%. The study used a life cycle assessment to demonstrate that grain legumes in conventional cereal and oilseed rotations improved the delivery of human nutrition at a lower environmental cost in most impact categories. Furthermore, legume-modified rotations provided more digestible protein at a lower cost for livestock feed. The researchers emphasize the need for more research on this topic and plan to extend their study to other crop rotations and agricultural locations.