Advancing sustainable agriculture with legumes
Broad study shows benefits of rotating standard crops with beans and lentils.
A collection of dried leguminous seeds, or pulses. Credit: Helen Camacaro / Getty Images
Legumes are a win-win for food security and the environment – two major problems facing the planet. Packed with protein, fibre, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, they emit small amounts of greenhouse gases, sequester carbon and enrich the soil with nitrogen.
This makes them ideal plants for crop rotation, yet studies until now have been fragmented and only considered isolated facets of nutrition and sustainability, according to a European team of researchers.