World Soil Day hails symbiotic role of pulses

Soil and pulses can make major contributions to the challenge of feeding the world's growing population and combating climate change, especially when deployed together, according to Soils and Pulses: Symbiosis for Life, a new report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation released on World Soil Day.

"Soils and pulses embody a unique symbiosis that protects the environment, enhances productivity, contributes to adapting to climate change and provides fundamental nutrients to the soil and subsequent crops," said FAO Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva.

The new report illustrates a variety of ways that pulses and soils can be "strategic allies" in forging more sustainable food and agriculture systems.

Earlier today, FAO's Council - representing the Organisation's member states - endorsed the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management, a set of technical and policy recommendations on protecting the world's largest terrestrial pool of carbon. These guidelines - to be implemented at all levels - constitute the main tool to foster sustainable soil management and boost soil health.

One-third of the world's soils are now deemed degraded, due to a range of causes including acidification, salinisation, erosion and urbanisation, a matter of growing concern due to the intricate range of life-supporting ecosystem services they provide.

"Pulses are architects of soil health," according to the report.

They host special soil bacteria enabling the biological fixation of nitrogen, a natural process that would cost an additional $10 billion a year in synthetic fertilizers. They also foster soil carbon sequestration and cleaner water filtration.

The world is currently losing soil 10 to 20 times faster than it is replenishing it, a trend pulses can help offset.

Pulses are a critical ally in addressing hunger, food insecurity, malnutrition and rural incomes, all cardinal goals in the Sustainable Development Agenda.

They have higher protein content - often three times as much as rice or cassava - than staple grains. Pulses also are a significant source of health-enhancing minerals, including iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous and zinc. Other dietary health attributes of pulses include high B-vitamin content, low fat content, no cholesterol and a low glycemic index. While low in calories, they are high in complex carbohydrates and dietary fibers.