Integrated policy analysis to identify transformation paths to more-sustainable legume-based food and feed value-chains in Europe

Bálint Balazs; Eszter Kelemen; Tiziana Centofanti; Marta W. Vasconcelos; Pietro P. M. Iannetta

doi:10.1080/21683565.2021.1884165

Integrated policy analysis to identify transformation paths to more-sustainable legume-based food and feed value-chains in Europe

Bálint Balazs, Eszter Kelemen, Tiziana Centofanti^*, Marta W. Vasconcelos, Pietro P. M. Iannetta

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

19 Citations (Scopus)

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Abstract

The food- and feed-value systems in the European Union are not protein self-sufficient. Despite their potential to improve the well-being of arable cropping systems, sufficient production of high-protein legume grains in Europe has not been achieved due to multiple barriers. The reasons are multiple and span economic, agronomic, research, and extension services, as well as aspects of culture and traditional dietary habits. Given the well-documented advantages of legume-supported production systems and diets, that include ecosystem and health provisions, acknowledging and promoting legumes as cornerstone species for more sustainable agri-food systems is a necessary and logical step. This paper provides an integrated analysis of case studies and current policies that shape the production and consumption of legumes in Europe. This study identified three key pathways, which can be integrated into sustainable farming systems to support current and future food security challenges via the use of legumes and legume-based products. At each pathway, we identified several enablers that support the sustainability transformation of legume production and consumption in Europe.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	931-953
Number of pages	23
Journal	Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems
Volume	45
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/21683565.2021.1884165
Publication status	Published - 28 Feb 2021

Keywords

Environmental impact
Food policies
Food- and feed-value systems
Legumes
Protein

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1080/21683565.2021.1884165Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

28688941Final published version, 1.92 MBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/32409Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

Cite this

@article{c17e3e079e1745c0bcadd12a94b63529,

title = "Integrated policy analysis to identify transformation paths to more-sustainable legume-based food and feed value-chains in Europe",

abstract = "The food- and feed-value systems in the European Union are not protein self-sufficient. Despite their potential to improve the well-being of arable cropping systems, sufficient production of high-protein legume grains in Europe has not been achieved due to multiple barriers. The reasons are multiple and span economic, agronomic, research, and extension services, as well as aspects of culture and traditional dietary habits. Given the well-documented advantages of legume-supported production systems and diets, that include ecosystem and health provisions, acknowledging and promoting legumes as cornerstone species for more sustainable agri-food systems is a necessary and logical step. This paper provides an integrated analysis of case studies and current policies that shape the production and consumption of legumes in Europe. This study identified three key pathways, which can be integrated into sustainable farming systems to support current and future food security challenges via the use of legumes and legume-based products. At each pathway, we identified several enablers that support the sustainability transformation of legume production and consumption in Europe.",

keywords = "Environmental impact, Food policies, Food- and feed-value systems, Legumes, Protein",

author = "B{\'a}lint Balazs and Eszter Kelemen and Tiziana Centofanti and Vasconcelos, {Marta W.} and Iannetta, {Pietro P. M.}",

note = "Funding Information: TRUE ( www.true-project.eu ), has received funding from the European Union{\textquoteright}s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement number 727973 and the scientific support of National Funds from FCT - Funda{\c c}{\~a}o para a Ci{\^e}ncia e a Tecnologia through project UID/Multi/50016/2019. PPMI is also supported by: www.plant-teams.eu and www.tomres.eu , which has also received funding EU Horizon 2020 under Grant Agreement Numbers 727284 and 727929, respectively. The James Hutton Institute is supported by the Rural & Environment Science & Analytical Services (RESAS), a division of the Scottish Government. Eszter Kelemen acknowledges the support of the J{\'a}nos Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Funding Information: TRUE (www.true-project.eu), has received funding from the European Union?s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement number 727973 and the scientific support of National Funds from FCT - Funda??o para a Ci?ncia e a Tecnologia through project UID/Multi/50016/2019. PPMI is also supported by: www.plant-teams.eu and www.tomres.eu, which has also received funding EU Horizon 2020 under Grant Agreement Numbers 727284 and 727929, respectively. The James Hutton Institute is supported by the Rural & Environment Science & Analytical Services (RESAS), a division of the Scottish Government. Eszter Kelemen acknowledges the support of the J?nos Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences;Horizon 2020 Framework Programme [727973];J?nos Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences;National Funds from FCT - Funda??o a Ci?ncia e a Tecnologia [UID/Multi/50016/2019];EU Horizon 2020 under Grant Agreement Numbers [727929];Rural & Environment Science & Analytical Services (RESAS). TRUE (www.true-project.eu), has received funding from the European Union?s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement number 727973 and the scientific support of National Funds from FCT - Funda??o para a Ci?ncia e a Tecnologia through project UID/Multi/50016/2019. PPMI is also supported by: www.plant-teams.eu and www.tomres.eu, which has also received funding EU Horizon 2020 under Grant Agreement Numbers 727284 and 727929, respectively. The James Hutton Institute is supported by the Rural & Environment Science & Analytical Services (RESAS), a division of the Scottish Government. Eszter Kelemen acknowledges the support of the J?nos Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Funding Information: If the potential human- and environmental-benefits of legumes are to be realized in Europe, then policy objectives must be more effectively implemented to ensure as much as possible that the legume grains consumed as feed and food in Europe encourage legume-based cropping systems near the point of consumption, incentivizing local producers and processors to include legume in their cropping/businness systems. The cultivation of legumes in agroecological farming systems is a foundation of fertility provision, nutrient use efficiency, and soil quality preservation. However, most commodities that emerge from more sustainable, environmentally friendly farming approaches command a price premium which is most commonly afforded by the more affluent consumers. Thus, it is argued that higher uptake of products from sustainable farms should be incentivized. For example, within the CAP, a much more significant shift toward {\textquoteleft}Rural Development{\textquoteright} (Pillar 2) is needed. Support for farmers should be linked to quality rather than quantity. Rather than support high input monoculture of large holdings, environmental protection and production of varied crops with high nutritional value should be favored and incentivized. As a specific example, the {\textquoteleft}Agro-ecological Project{\textquoteright} in France and the {\textquoteleft}B{\"O}LN Scheme{\textquoteright} in Germany are two strategies that incentivize environmental protection to encourage more-sustainable food production. In France, the government worked on a new law made public on 13 October 2014, under the name of “LOI No. 2014–1170 d{\textquoteright}avenir pour l{\textquoteright}agriculture, l{\textquoteright}alimentation et la for{\^e}t” (Law 2014–1170 of 13 October 2014, {\textquoteleft}of the future for agriculture, food, and forestry{\textquoteright}) (Guitton ). This law provides a rationale for the combination of economic, environmental and social performance through sustainable and highly productive agroecological practices. In Germany, the B{\"O}LN Scheme is funded by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, which provides financial support directly through the CAP organic farming measure within the Rural Development Programmes. For the CAP period 2014–2020, the Ministry collectively has budgeted nearly 1.5 billion Euros for this support (Sanders, Offermann, and Nieberg ). Such measures that support values and quality over quantity need to be integrated with investment into crop breeding and associated research and development programs. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.",

year = "2021",

month = feb,

day = "28",

doi = "10.1080/21683565.2021.1884165",

language = "English",

volume = "45",

pages = "931--953",

journal = "Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems",

issn = "2168-3565",

publisher = "Taylor and Francis Ltd.",

number = "6",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Integrated policy analysis to identify transformation paths to more-sustainable legume-based food and feed value-chains in Europe

AU - Balazs, Bálint

AU - Kelemen, Eszter

AU - Centofanti, Tiziana

AU - Vasconcelos, Marta W.

AU - Iannetta, Pietro P. M.

N1 - Funding Information: TRUE ( www.true-project.eu ), has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement number 727973 and the scientific support of National Funds from FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia through project UID/Multi/50016/2019. PPMI is also supported by: www.plant-teams.eu and www.tomres.eu , which has also received funding EU Horizon 2020 under Grant Agreement Numbers 727284 and 727929, respectively. The James Hutton Institute is supported by the Rural & Environment Science & Analytical Services (RESAS), a division of the Scottish Government. Eszter Kelemen acknowledges the support of the János Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Funding Information: TRUE (www.true-project.eu), has received funding from the European Union?s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement number 727973 and the scientific support of National Funds from FCT - Funda??o para a Ci?ncia e a Tecnologia through project UID/Multi/50016/2019. PPMI is also supported by: www.plant-teams.eu and www.tomres.eu, which has also received funding EU Horizon 2020 under Grant Agreement Numbers 727284 and 727929, respectively. The James Hutton Institute is supported by the Rural & Environment Science & Analytical Services (RESAS), a division of the Scottish Government. Eszter Kelemen acknowledges the support of the J?nos Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences;Horizon 2020 Framework Programme [727973];J?nos Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences;National Funds from FCT - Funda??o a Ci?ncia e a Tecnologia [UID/Multi/50016/2019];EU Horizon 2020 under Grant Agreement Numbers [727929];Rural & Environment Science & Analytical Services (RESAS). TRUE (www.true-project.eu), has received funding from the European Union?s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement number 727973 and the scientific support of National Funds from FCT - Funda??o para a Ci?ncia e a Tecnologia through project UID/Multi/50016/2019. PPMI is also supported by: www.plant-teams.eu and www.tomres.eu, which has also received funding EU Horizon 2020 under Grant Agreement Numbers 727284 and 727929, respectively. The James Hutton Institute is supported by the Rural & Environment Science & Analytical Services (RESAS), a division of the Scottish Government. Eszter Kelemen acknowledges the support of the J?nos Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Funding Information: If the potential human- and environmental-benefits of legumes are to be realized in Europe, then policy objectives must be more effectively implemented to ensure as much as possible that the legume grains consumed as feed and food in Europe encourage legume-based cropping systems near the point of consumption, incentivizing local producers and processors to include legume in their cropping/businness systems. The cultivation of legumes in agroecological farming systems is a foundation of fertility provision, nutrient use efficiency, and soil quality preservation. However, most commodities that emerge from more sustainable, environmentally friendly farming approaches command a price premium which is most commonly afforded by the more affluent consumers. Thus, it is argued that higher uptake of products from sustainable farms should be incentivized. For example, within the CAP, a much more significant shift toward ‘Rural Development’ (Pillar 2) is needed. Support for farmers should be linked to quality rather than quantity. Rather than support high input monoculture of large holdings, environmental protection and production of varied crops with high nutritional value should be favored and incentivized. As a specific example, the ‘Agro-ecological Project’ in France and the ‘BÖLN Scheme’ in Germany are two strategies that incentivize environmental protection to encourage more-sustainable food production. In France, the government worked on a new law made public on 13 October 2014, under the name of “LOI No. 2014–1170 d’avenir pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et la forêt” (Law 2014–1170 of 13 October 2014, ‘of the future for agriculture, food, and forestry’) (Guitton ). This law provides a rationale for the combination of economic, environmental and social performance through sustainable and highly productive agroecological practices. In Germany, the BÖLN Scheme is funded by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, which provides financial support directly through the CAP organic farming measure within the Rural Development Programmes. For the CAP period 2014–2020, the Ministry collectively has budgeted nearly 1.5 billion Euros for this support (Sanders, Offermann, and Nieberg ). Such measures that support values and quality over quantity need to be integrated with investment into crop breeding and associated research and development programs. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

PY - 2021/2/28

Y1 - 2021/2/28

N2 - The food- and feed-value systems in the European Union are not protein self-sufficient. Despite their potential to improve the well-being of arable cropping systems, sufficient production of high-protein legume grains in Europe has not been achieved due to multiple barriers. The reasons are multiple and span economic, agronomic, research, and extension services, as well as aspects of culture and traditional dietary habits. Given the well-documented advantages of legume-supported production systems and diets, that include ecosystem and health provisions, acknowledging and promoting legumes as cornerstone species for more sustainable agri-food systems is a necessary and logical step. This paper provides an integrated analysis of case studies and current policies that shape the production and consumption of legumes in Europe. This study identified three key pathways, which can be integrated into sustainable farming systems to support current and future food security challenges via the use of legumes and legume-based products. At each pathway, we identified several enablers that support the sustainability transformation of legume production and consumption in Europe.

AB - The food- and feed-value systems in the European Union are not protein self-sufficient. Despite their potential to improve the well-being of arable cropping systems, sufficient production of high-protein legume grains in Europe has not been achieved due to multiple barriers. The reasons are multiple and span economic, agronomic, research, and extension services, as well as aspects of culture and traditional dietary habits. Given the well-documented advantages of legume-supported production systems and diets, that include ecosystem and health provisions, acknowledging and promoting legumes as cornerstone species for more sustainable agri-food systems is a necessary and logical step. This paper provides an integrated analysis of case studies and current policies that shape the production and consumption of legumes in Europe. This study identified three key pathways, which can be integrated into sustainable farming systems to support current and future food security challenges via the use of legumes and legume-based products. At each pathway, we identified several enablers that support the sustainability transformation of legume production and consumption in Europe.

KW - Environmental impact

KW - Food policies

KW - Food- and feed-value systems

KW - Legumes

KW - Protein

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U2 - 10.1080/21683565.2021.1884165

DO - 10.1080/21683565.2021.1884165

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85101906830

SN - 2168-3565

VL - 45

SP - 931

EP - 953

JO - Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems

JF - Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems

IS - 6

ER -

Integrated policy analysis to identify transformation paths to more-sustainable legume-based food and feed value-chains in Europe

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

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CBQF Multianual Funding: Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry

CEEC Institucional 2018 - CBQF - Professor Auxiliar 2 - MV

Cite this

Integrated policy analysis to identify transformation paths to more-sustainable legume-based food and feed value-chains in Europe

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Projects

CBQF Multianual Funding: Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry

CEEC Institucional 2018 - CBQF - Professor Auxiliar 2 - MV

Cite this