School of Social and Political Science

Description

In this short presentation, Pete will draw upon narratives from his past and current research projects to explore the world from the perspective of cropped legumes: that remarkable group of plants distinguished by their ability to fix atmospheric di-nitrogen gas into biologically useful forms. This symbiotic process, known as biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), underpins much of the world’s food and feed systems.

Domesticated legumes - such as peas, beans, lentils, clover, and lucerne - are vital to all forms of agriculture, whether described as circular, regenerative, organic, or otherwise. Their unique capacity for BNF often sees them portrayed as natural substitutes for polluting synthetic nitrogen fertilisers. Likewise, their high-protein grains position them in the market as “meat alternatives.”

Yet legumes are far more than substitutes. They can be utilised in a myriad of forms, are phytochemically diverse and complex, and contribute both to the resilient functioning of the environments in which they are grown, and to the biological systems of the creatures that consume them - offering essential proteins alongside a range of non-nutritional compounds that support healthy diets. Historically, legumes also fulfilled critical roles in human food culture - including in Scotland and across the UK - though once again, legume-based dishes have been displaced by more convenient alternatives. Simply put, legumes are not substitutes; legumes are legumes - and should be characterised as such.

Despite their potential, in the UK and Europe the cultivation of legumes remains below what would be ideal from an agroecological perspective. European food and feed systems remain heavily dependent on imported legume (grain) protein. As a result, many of the potential environmental, economic, and nutritional benefits of growing legumes locally are forfeited.

Moreover, while many environmental benefits are ascribed to legumes, much still needs to be demonstrated and quantified in practice. Effective pathways for ensuring these benefits are realised, and maintained, across scales from field to farm, region to nation, and ultimately the globe, remain to be clearly defined.

Commercially, legumes must also compete in markets shaped by entrenched policy frameworks and value chains built around non-legume crops. To succeed, therefore, legumes need to be ‘premiumised’ and positioned as high-value products with superior functionality and unique selling points.

Food and feed systems are inherently complex and globalised, a complexity now amplified by the challenges of climate change. Will ‘home-grown’ legumes be allowed take their place as a critical component in the solution?

A little background reading: A multifunctional solution for wicked problems: value-chain wide facilitation of legumes cultivated at bioregional scales is necessary to address the climate-biodiversity-nutrition nexus