In our projects, we rely on pulses in rotating cultivation of crops. They fix nitrogen in the soil and promote its fertility. On today’s World Pulses Day, we take a closer look at this magic crop in our projects. 

„Pulse crops make a fundamental contribution to soil health by fixing nitrogen from the atmosphere and improving soil biodiversity, fertility and structure“

With this statement, the United Nations announced the World Pulses Day on December 5, 2016. The UN Secretary-General at the time, Ban Ki-moon, added: „Pulse crops can increase soil fertility and support healthier and more nutritious diets“.

One third of all arable land worldwide is affected by degradation. In the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the target till 2030 is: „Protect, restore and promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, manage forests sustainably, combat desertification, end and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss.”

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Help for soils and health

And indeed, to achieve this goal, legumes are a miracle bag for the sustainable development of soil fertility. The so-called nodule bacteria that form on the roots of legumes – beans, peas, lentils, etc. – store nitrogen from the atmosphere and make it usable for subsequent crops. This means that less nitrogen fertilizer has to be applied, i.e. less CO² emissions. That is why we use pulses in our projects in rotating cultivation of crops.

Not only does the cultivation of pulse crops reduce the need for additional nitrogen fertilizer, but overall, the diet of plant proteins instead of animal proteins results in 86% lower CO² emissions than the production of meat. And not only that. Pulse crops provide vital vitamins and proteins, and this at a very reasonable price. We are therefore protecting the climate on our plates and in the soil.

And there’s another plus point: the wide range of further processing options.

Income from cultivation of pulse crops

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We create added value in our agricultural projects by processing soybeans into tofu, soy drinks or soy snacks and enable our farmers to generate additional income beyond the raw product soybean https://www.sabab-lou.de/en/processing-soybeans/

On today’s World Pulses Day we can’t emphasize enough – pulse crops work wonders!