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Jeff Ehlers, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Pulse crops are good to grow, good to eat
Pulse crops offer smallholder farmers a multi-faceted way to improve food security, diet, and soil health as well as economic returns and income stability. With the ability to convert atmospheric nitrogen to usable forms, pulses make their own nitrogen fertilizer. Even better, the nitrogen that is fixed becomes available to subsequent crops grown in the same field. When farmers plant pulses together with a main cereal crop (intercropping), just after the main crop (relay crop), or as a short-season ‘catch’ crop, they can boost overall land productivity. By rotating pulses and cereals, soil fertility is improved and cycles of pests and disease that harm cereal yields can be broken. Adding pulses to cropping systems gives farmers alternative crops to sell and income stability in the face of volatile cereal prices. Often grown and sold by women farmers, pulse crops can unlock doors of opportunity for rural women.
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The International Year of Pulses was celebrated at a Food Fest at the Salsabeel Central School in Mundur Thrissur. The event focused on the importance of pulse items in the daily food of children. the slogan of food fest was "Love Pulses, Love vegetables". The students of classes four to twelve brought a variety of delicious food items, prepared at home with the help of their parents, to the school.
Pulses were included in almost all dishes. Traditional food like 'Naaadan Payaru Kari', 'Kappa-Chammanthy', 'Athissaya Pathiri', and other new generation dishes were all available in the different stalls.Chicken rolls prepared by two students on the spot, were sold as hot cakes.
There was an exhibition sale of vegetables, with a variety of pulse items brought by the students and teachers cultivated at their home. An awareness class on the cultivation and use of pulses was conducted. Seeds of beans were also distributed to all students.
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Anis Majeed, chairman of Bombiʼs Group, recently participated in a special program on National Television for awareness of the International Year of Pulses 2016 in Pakistan.
Watch the video:
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The ABC Landline Program has featured the International Year of Pulses in their episode titled "Pulses Boom". Landline is a hit Australian national rural issues television program featuring Pip Courtney. The program covers issues regarding farming, mining, and fisheries.