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Abstract
AbstractSupplying our world’s growing nutrition needs in more sustainable ways has become an urgent global imperative, given the constraints of finite resources and the challenges of accelerating climate change. Pulse crops, which are the dried seeds of legumes such as dry peas, chickpeas, beans, and lentils, play a key role in maintaining affordable, nutritious diets, as they provide high amounts of protein and fiber, and relatively low amounts of fat. As legumes, they are also advantageous from an environmental perspective, because they fix atmospheric nitrogen, thereby reducing the need for added fertilizers. Although some pulse crops are produced in areas that require irrigation, more than 80% of the pulse crop production area in the United States is exclusively rain-fed. In order to quantify eco-efficiency metrics associated with the production of pulse crops in the United States, life cycle assessment techniques were used to calculate “cradle to farm-gate” greenhouse gas emissions and irrigation wat...
Highlights
Mankind is trying to prove Malthus wrong, that we can successfully meet our world’s growing nutrition needs despite the intrinsic constraints of finite resources and the challenges of accelerating climate change (IPCC, 2014)
In order to quantify eco-efficiency metrics associated with the production of pulse crops in the United States, life cycle assessment techniques were used to calculate greenhouse gas emissions and irrigation water use
The results demonstrate that pulse crops have low carbon and water footprints relative to most foods
Summary
Mankind is trying to prove Malthus wrong, that we can successfully meet our world’s growing nutrition needs despite the intrinsic constraints of finite resources and the challenges of accelerating climate change (IPCC, 2014). In recent years several prominent global organizations have highlighted the magnitude of the challenge facing the world’s agricultural industry to meet the nutritional demands for a growing population in the 30– 50 years (Field to Market, 2009, 2012; Foresight, 2011; Serecon, 2011) Meeting this demand sustainably will require increased productivity from the finite natural resources that exist around the world while balancing demands for environmental protection and social benefit (Beddington et al, 2012; Waddington, Li, Dixon, Hyman, & de Vicente, 2010). Pulse crops provide high amounts of dietary protein and fiber, and relatively low amounts of fat As legumes, they are advantageous from an environmental perspective, because they fix atmospheric nitrogen, thereby reducing the need for added fertilizers.
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