The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said that in Latin America and the Caribbean, legumes face competition with more commercial export crops that occupy areas with better soils and irrigation.
According to a survey by the entity in the region, in recent decades vegetable production has moved to dry areas, which has led to a drop in yields, competitiveness, production volumes and the number of producers who grow them.
Vegetable consumption has also decreased. At present, there is a certain social stigma, which associates this food with the poorest strata of society, reinforced by the lack of education and information about its benefits and its great agricultural potential.
The new generations are losing the knowledge of the forms of production, consumption and preparation of legumes. Latin America is a treasure at risk,”
said Allan Hruska, from the FAO, stressing the importance of vindicating native and nutritious food from the commercial pressure posed by junk food” in Latin America and the Caribbean.
During this International Year of Legumes, FAO has worked with governments and producer associations to reassess and reposition pulses as strategic food for food security and overcoming rural poverty.
The Government of Ecuador and the FAO promoted scientific research on lupine (Lupinus mutabilis) the only edible legume from the Andes, through a regional symposium, which is being held in Quito from November 29th to December 1st, with the participation of producers and professionals from Peru and Bolivia.
Lupine cultivation takes place in different production systems from Ecuador to Chile and northeastern Argentina because it has high tolerance to poor soils, drought and low temperatures, besides having flowers of great beauty and decorative value.
From the agronomic point of view, it is recognized as one of the most efficient legumes in the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen – and therefore one of the best green manures.
In food, the lupine can be used in countless forms, both the whole grain and the processed grain in salty and sweet preparations. Its nutritional content includes proteins (51%), fibers (13%), calcium (0.37%), iron (61 ppm), zinc (92 ppm) and fats (21.9%).
Lupine is used medicinally for the reduction of muscular pains when applying plasters and the elimination of external parasites on the animals.
The lupine is just one example of the enormous cultural, agricultural and nutritional heritage of the region’s vegetables, which has been preserved by family farmers,”
added Hruska.
According to the FAO, family farmers still preserve the knowledge and customs that governments require to recover legumes from the region.
Family farming in the region has not lost the culture of producing vegetables, keeping networks of seed exchange with producers and ancestral management practices, which require state support for its continuation.
The climate in many parts of the region enables the production of quality legumes in a short time, which allows farmers to generate income faster.
Legumes play an important role as a productive alternative for areas with marginal and dry land, allowing the recovery of degraded soils.