To produce a kilo of lentils, 1,250 liters of water are needed, compared to 13,000 liters to produce a kilogram of beef.
This alone would be enough to encourage and intensify the production and use of legumes in human nutrition.
It is a plant that has existed for millions of years and is also one of the first plants in the world to have been cultivated.
Dried beans, lentils, chickpeas are good for health because they are rich in nutrients, have a high protein content and do not harm the environment.
They play a role in the fight against soil erosion and depletion because they do not need nitrogen fertilizers by fixing nitrogen themselves and this self-sufficiency avoids the emission of greenhouse gases.
Being low in fat and high in soluble fiber,
legumes help reduce cholesterol and control blood sugar.
For these qualities they are recommended by health organizations in the treatment of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
Legumes have also been shown to help fight obesity.
Finally for farmers, pulses are an important crop, eating or selling the pulses they grow helps farmers ensure food security for their families and gives them economic stability.
All of this will be discussed on February 10 at the virtual event organized by FAO, "Impulses for a sustainable future" on the occasion of the International Day of Legumes established by the United Nations in 2018 to raise public awareness of the nutritional benefits of consuming a variety of foods, including legumes, which, as the UN points out, contribute to achieving the 2030 Agenda and promoting sustainable agriculture.
The FAO event will also discuss how the global legume sector, from an economic point of view,