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Grain legumes: Solutions to human health and agricultural sustainability

Global food security issues can be corrected only through agriculture and socio-technological interventions; says Professor Dr Kadambot Siddique of University of Western Australia, Australia. Professor Siddique made this statement while delivering the First KVASU EXEMPLAR LECTURE organised by the Academic Staff College and the International Co-operation and Initiatives at the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy on 19-01-2016. 

The year 2016 has been declared by United Nations as the International Year of Pulses (Grain Legumes) under the banner ‘nutritious seeds for a sustainable future’, and provide lasting solutions to the problems of human health and agricultural sustainability, according to Professor Dr Kadambot Siddique. Grain legumes (edible seeds of leguminous plants) are currently underutilized in comparison to cereals in spite of the known benefits to agricultural productivity, sustainability and human health. Grain legume production is static or declining in developing countries, in the face of an increasing global demand. These crops are grown across a range of farming systems, from subsistence agriculture to sophisticated commercial production systems, so research and development needs to target particular species to each of these various agro-ecological and cultural systems. 

Farming systems need to be profitable and sustainable to meet the growing needs of India’s population and respond to the changing climate. Farmers need to optimize the use of inputs such as water and fertilizers. Grain legumes have a significant role in cropping systems under Indian conditions because of their sustainable and environmental benefits such as reducing the carbon footprint and the need for nitrogen fertilizers. They provide nutritious human food and animal feed in both commercial and low-input subsistence agriculture.The health advantages of a grain legume-rich diet are many faceted. Their role in global health including the reduction of non-communicable diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and neurodegenerative diseases is underappreciated. A diverse diet including a range of legumes is required for health benefits. 

The key recommendations from the workshop included: (i) developing a global, publically funded network of shared access to germplasm and data, (ii) developing a better understanding on the health effects with regard to the global obesity epidemic and increased prevalence in diabetes, (iii) undertaking further research to understand cultural attitudes towards the use of legumes, to promote the health benefits and how these can be effectively marketed, (iv) include more participatory approaches to transfer of long established and recently developed technologies related to grain legume production to resource-poor rural communities, (v) developing a comprehensive understanding of the value addition chain for the particular sub-sector, to better understand the bottlenecks, (vi) undertaking fundamental research into biological nitrogen fixation and nitrogen use efficiency, as well as phosphorus in relation to climate change and (vii) developing the underpinnings of transformative technologies necessary for producing new elite varieties.The above strategies should secure the position of grain legumes crops in agricultural systems and contribute to  the overall goal of food and nutritional security.

The programme was inaugurated by Dr.K.Devada, Director of Academics and Research , Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University. Dr.Sisilamma George, Faculty Dean presided over the function. Dr.T.P.Sethumadhavan, Director, Entrepreneurship, Dr.K.P.Sreekumar, Director, International Cooperation and Initiatives, Dr. K.Anil Kumar, Associate Dean and Dr.B.Sunil, Director, Academic Staff College spoke on the occasion. The lecture was attended by around 150 students and faculty.