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This post was written by Milan Shah, Director of Virani Food Products Ltd.
Was Ban Ki-moon looking for a spare seat as he repeatedly traversed our dining area on the 4th floor of the United Nations Headquarters? Of course, he had an open invitation to join our peas, beans and lentils themed lunch in celebratory anticipation of the forthcoming International Year of Pulses 2016, which the UN General Assembly had declared back in December 2013. But why such a formal designation to promote this ancient and humble set of crops? As the Secretary General had stated just the previous week, the world should eat more pulses:
“Pulse crops, such as lentils, beans, peas and chickpeas, are a vital source of plant-based proteins and amino acids. Despite strong evidence of the health and nutritional benefits of pulses, the consumption of pulses remains low in many developing and developed countries.”
The mandate to facilitate the year sits with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, based in Rome, and it offers an opportunity to watch the specialised agency in action on two fronts: the Sustainable Development Goals and strategic alliances.
Sustainable Development Goals
Goal setting can help get things done and the Millennium Development Goals had offered a framework for focusing on the challenges faced by the poorest in our world. However, the expert led process that delivered these targets also sowed the seeds of lingering suspicions of the North prescribing to the South, rich countries monitoring poorer ones. This time, the Sustainable Development Goals emerged through a more widespread bottom up approach of stakeholder engagement (including 193 governments and over 7m online responses), which might explain why there are 17 of them with 169 associated targets.
The FAO now finds itself attempting to monitor and meet approximately thirty targets across around two hundred countries. The International Year of Pulses 2016 offers an early opportunity within the SDG time horizon for the FAO to demonstrate tangible progress on a range of these objectives. Pulses will make a real difference in so many ways, as Ban Ki-moon noted:
“Pulses can contribute significantly in addressing hunger, food security, malnutrition, environmental challenges and human health.”
Strategic Alliances
With a $2.4 billion budget for the current 2014-15 biennium, of which only $1 billion is core funding from assessed contributions, the FAO is learning to manage its activities (and offices in 130 countries) smartly. But the value for money imperative has not dented the ambition of Director General José Graziano Da Silva, who seems to be rising to the ever urgent challenge of ending global hunger:
"Better is good, but when it comes to hunger, better is not good enough. There are 795 million reasons why."
This attitude chimes with the transition from halving hunger by 2015 (MDG 1 Target 3) to zero hunger by 2030 (SDG2 Target 1). But the FAO’s resources alone will not deliver that objective. By some estimates $267 billion per year until 2030 is required to meet this goal. Whilst the Director General puts this in context as the equivalent of a new $150 mobile phone every year for each of the world’s poor, his logic model is crystal clear that the majority of intended outcomes rely on those outside the FAO and its immediate circle. The status of the Office of Partnerships is being elevated in recognition. Collaboration beyond national governments and other international agencies with academia, civil society, co-operatives and the private sector is key to delivering actual change across the globe. The International Year of Pulses 2016, licenced by the United Nations, is being driven by just such a coalition of eager non state actors. It will be refreshing to see the FAO keep up with them in its facilitating role.
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The next day delivered a perfect example of this partnership in action with The Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science at the New York Academy of Sciences bringing together policy makers, scientists, R&D directors and NGO’s for a scientific conference. The role of pulses was clear in feeding a growing global population under the mounting pressure, amplified by climate change, of constrained resources such as land, water and energy. The solution was not just about sufficient sustainably produced calories but nutritional quality as well. To reinforce the point, every meal time and snack break at the conference was pulses based and, as one might expect from the Sackler Institute, perfectly nutritionally balanced.
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And what did New York’s chefs make of pulses as ingredients? Ken Aretsky’s team at that midtown temple of tranquil elegance, Patroon, were undaunted in delivering a pulses themed banquet from canapes to desserts in the classic style for which they are renowned.
The next evening, celebrity chefs Alex Guarnaschelli, Sam Mason, Seamus Mullen, Michael Solomonov and Brad Farmerie each popped up altars of pulses inspired culinary innovation within the broad church of Public, a Michelin starred NoLIta destination. The feedback was promising:
“It was not a challenge to work with pulses, it was a delight; they are so versatile in terms of texture and mouthfeel and they hold flavour like a sponge.”
Consumer acceptance of alternative protein sources is going to be taste driven and pulses seem well positioned. Farmerie, educated this side of the pond at Chez Nico, Le Manoir and The Providores, was a charming host whose red lentil pumpkin pie with white bean cream was subtlety on a plate.
So that's four pulses themed meals in 48 hours, without a single baked bean in sight – unusual for an Englishman, even in New York.
Read the original post on LinkedIn.
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The winners of the 2015 British Edible Pulses Association (BEPA) Crop Competition were announced at the organisation’s annual dinner at Belton Woods Hotel, near Grantham on November 19.
The winners include D&R Tyrell for the "Large Blue Peas" category. The variety Daytona was supplied by Dunns (Long Sutton) Ltd.
The "Winter Beans" category winner was Royden Hall Farms with variety Wizard supplied by Dalmark.
Dalmark also supplied the variety Rose to LG Wakefield & Soncs who were the winners of the "Any Other Pea" category.
The "White/Yellow Peas" category winners were Bevington Smith & Partners with the variety Gregor, supplied by Dengie Crops.
Franek Smith, vice-president of the British Edible Pulses Association (BEPA) said there had been a 33 per cent increase in samples submitted for judging this year.
“We expect this increase to be maintained in 2016, which will be a very special year for the pulse crop as the UN International Year of Pulses.”
Read the news on BEPA's website.
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This post was featured on the Zero Hunger blog.
On November 19, researchers, farmers, food manufacturers and policymakers met at the New York Academy of Sciences to talk about the benefits of pulses for public health and the global food system. Organized by the Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science, in partnership with Bush Brothers & Company, this scientific conference, Little Beans, Big Opportunities: Realizing the Potential of Pulses to Meet Today’s Global Health Challenges, showcased the societal and environmental advantages of growing and eating more beans, peas, lentils and chickpeas.
Supported with studies from around the world, speakers highlighted the global significance and potential impact of pulses for human nutrition and agricultural systems. Pulses were cited for their role in nourishing children at risk of stunting during the first 1000 days of life, in reducing chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, in combatting obesity, and in building a diverse microbiome. High-protein, low-fat, high-fiber pulse grains are produced by legume plants that ‘fix’ atmospheric nitrogen, reducing the need for fertilizers. Many pulses thrive in water-limited conditions, expanding farmers’ options for dealing with more frequent droughts.
Speakers detailed the “big opportunities” for pulses including investing in further research on the health effects of eating pulses. Backed by a more solid scientific evidence base, pulses can take a more central position in national dietary guidelines and the emerging medical arena of ‘prescription food.’ Stronger scientific data can inform policies that better incentivize farmers to grow pulses.
Another big opportunity for pulses is to dramatically increase yield per hectare in developing countries to match the impressive gains made by countries like Myanmar and Ethiopia. About 70% of all pulse crops are grown in Asia and Africa, which are seeing the fastest growth in pulse production and where populations depend on them heavily for dietary protein. Since 1980, global demand for pulses has increased by more than 20 million tons annually and production has expanded by over 20 million hectares. Better yields – through improved seeds, mechanization and agro-processing – will be essential for meeting consumer demand and for keeping this important protein source accessible to low-income households.
With the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s official launch of the International Year of Pulses 2016 on November 10th, these issues are now front and center for the food industry, national governments, consumer and health organizations, farmers, researchers and international organizations. Conference speakers emphasized how pulses can help to achieve several of the Sustainable Development Goals agreed at this year’s United Nation’s General Assembly, particularly related to food security, nutrition and sustainable food systems. As policymakers assess the comparative advantages of different crops for a sustainable national food system, they will find that pulses have a big role to play in achieving agricultural and dietary diversity.
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A conference on November 19 will focus on the ability of beans, lentils, and other legumes to address global health challenges such as obesity and diabetes, as well as provide an environmentally sustainable source of protein.
NEW YORK, November 17, 2015 - Beans, lentils, and other grain legumes, are slated for a big year in 2016. In anticipation of the "International Year of Pulses" (as proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly) in 2016, experts in nutrition science, agriculture, food policy, and public health, will come together in Manhattan on November 19 for the conference, Little Beans, Big Opportunities: Realizing the Potential of Pulses to Meet Today's Global Health Challenges.
The conference, presented by The Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science, the New York Academy of Sciences, and Bush Brothers & Company, takes a close scientific look at the potential of beans and other pulses to meet the imperative nutritional needs of women and infants during the first 1,000 days of life, reduce obesity and chronic diseases, and influence the microbiome.
How can pulses, the edible seeds of plants in the legume family, such as dry beans, dry peas, chickpeas, and lentils, do all of this? Pulses are low in fat and high in protein (about 20-30 percent) and fiber; contain various vitamins and amino acids; and increase absorption of key nutrients. They also improve the environmental sustainability of annual cropping systems.
Sonny Ramaswamy, PhD, Director of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, will provide the keynote presentation on "Population, Public Health, Pulses and Partnership." Additional speakers will focus on three main themes:
- The Nutritional Impact of Pulse Consumption,
- The Promise of Pulses: Economic, Environmental Policy, and Health Related Impacts, and
- Utilizing Effective Multisectorial Partnerships to Promote Pulses in Nutritious Diets.
Speakers include representatives from the International Food Policy Research Institute, United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, University of Minnesota, University of Ghana, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, University of Toronto, Food Tank, PepsiCo, Kansas State University, McGill University, and Pulse Canada.
For more information on the conference, as well as a full list of speakers and presentation topics, please visit the conference webpage.
For media inquiries, including requests for press passes, please contact Diana Friedman (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; 212-298-8645).
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About The Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science
The Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science at the New York Academy of Sciences is dedicated to advancing nutrition science research and knowledge, mobilizing communities, and translating this work into the field. The Institute is generating a coordinated network across sectors, disciplines, and geographies that promotes open communication; encourages exchange of information and resources; nurtures the next generation of scientists; and affects community intervention design and public policy changes. Visit www.nyas.org/nutrition for more information.
About the New York Academy of Sciences
The New York Academy of Sciences is an independent, not-for-profit organization that since 1817 has been committed to advancing science, technology, and society worldwide. With more than 20,000 members in 100 countries around the world, the Academy is creating a global community of science for the benefit of humanity. The Academy's core mission is to advance scientific knowledge, positively impact the major global challenges of society with science-based solutions, and increase the number of scientifically informed individuals in society at large. Please visit us online at www.nyas.org.