The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) QU Dongyu has highlighted pulses as crucial in achieving food security, healthy diets and sustainable agri-food systems.
Speaking at the opening of FAO’s virtual event to mark World Pulses Day, Qu highlighted pulses’ incredible potential for making FAO’s aspirations of Better Production, Better Nutrition, Better Environment and a Better Life a reality, and, thus, contributing towards transforming agri-food systems – making them more inclusive, resilient and sustainable.
“World Pulses Day is a valuable opportunity to pay tribute to this diverse and versatile commodity,” said the FAO Director-General.
Pulses are the edible seeds of legume plants, such as lentils, chickpeas and Bambara beans.
Qu highlighted that pulses required less water than other protein sources, and could be planted on small plots of land; were an affordable source of safe and nutritious food, high in protein, fibre, vitamins and micronutrients; and could fix atmospheric nitrogen, release high-quality organic matter in the soil and facilitate soil nutrients’ circulation and water retention.
“Less fertilizers, a smaller water footprint and reduced use of energy, means lower greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.
The Director-General also pointed out that pulses had a higher cost-benefit ratio than other staples, which helped diversify and improve the income of rural people, often women and youth, and located in vulnerable regions.
“Pulses have a long shelf life. Shifting consumption patterns to more pulses could, therefore, contribute to reducing food waste,” he said, noting that this characteristic has proved useful during the COVID-19 pandemic, as people without access to fresh food could still consume pulses.
Qu also reiterated FAO’s commitment to supporting its Members to increase the production and consumption of pulses, noting the importance of consumption as the true engine of transformation.
Pope Francis – in a message delivered by the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to FAO, Monseigneur Fernando Chica Arellano – said that pulses were a noble food, with a huge potential to bolster food security globally. Pulses are a simple and nutritious food that overcome geographical barriers and go beyond social classes and cultures, he noted.
Pope Francis also deplored the fact that many people, including children, didn’t have healthy or sufficient food, and stressed that the consumption of healthy diets should be a universal right, with states having to play a key role in making this a reality.
Argentina’s Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Luis Eugenio Basterra, extolled the many virtues of pulses, including their being an excellent crop in dry environments where food production was difficult due to the scarcity of water, and especially for vulnerable populations with little or no access to technology, for whom access to food represented a true challenge.
China is the world’s fourth largest producer of pulses. China’s Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Renjian Tang – in his message delivered by NIU Dun, China’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to FAO – put forward solutions to promoting the sustainable development of the world’s pulses industry by: bolstering efforts to increase pulses’ consumption; increasing the supply of pulses through production expansion, scientific and technological innovation; and establishing a global common market for pulses.
