The year 2016 has been dubbed the “International Year of Pulses” by the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) with the main aim of heightening consumer awareness of the nutritional and other benefits of pulse crops.
According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, “Pulses are a vital source of plant-based proteins and amino acids for people around the globe and should be eaten as part of a healthy diet to address obesity, as well as to prevent and help manage chronic diseases such as diabetes, coronary conditions, and cancer; They are also an important source of plant-based protein for human population and animals.”
In line with the year long celebrations, on 24th June, 2016, ICAR-NDRI and YPARD India organized an awareness programme for a group of agricultural graduates, farmers, NGO workers & scientists on “Pulse production for Nutritional security” at ICAR-NDRI, Karnal. In this program, the participants were informed of the importance of pulses production on a global level.
The present situation of pulse production in India, price trends, Per capita availability and strategies for pulse production were discussed too. Pulses production help in improving soil health and nutritional security of the population especially for vegetarian people. After the programme, we travelled to Trawadi, the village of the Karnal District of Haryana to see the crops of legumes in fields of a YPARD member and volunteer that supports small-scale farmers to generate incomes through pulse production and marketing. NDRI Scientist Dr. Gopal sankhala and progressive farmer Mr. Vikas Choudhary explained the participants/delegates about cultivation practices of summer Moong (vigna radiata) & Daincha (sesbania sesban) and its nutritional values in human life and animal feed followed by soil health. Among the areas of discussion inlcuded;
- How pulses fit into the lives of people from diverse regions of the world
- The wide variety of nutrition and environmental benefits that pulses provide
- The challenges we face in increasing pulses production, consumption and trade
- Successful pulses production practices and lessons learned
Dr. Gopal Sankhala, principal scientist ICAR-NDRI, Karnal informed the participant that YPARD is a global platform for the young professionals to share their ideas and interactions with each other at world level forum. He appealed to all all the participants to register on the YPARD website to share and learn as entails to agricultural practices.
On the other hand, Mr. Vikas Choudhary introduced the trainees to the benefits of growing pulses and Daincha(sesbania sesban) for the farmers, the market and the environment. He also delved into the nutritional value of pulses as well as the dietary needs and the diverse food options that a household can consume. Pulses help also fill the gap of quality seeds for the market and helps generate more income for the farmers as the production get a high value in the market. They also happen to be crops that gives back nitrogen to the soil and can improve soil fertility and help cut down on the use of fertilizers, one of the major goal as farmers don’t have the capability to afford the bags they need for the fields.
And towards the end of the program, the participants were introduced to climate smart agriculture techniques and the benefits of CSA when it comes to producing more food and reducing the risks and uncertainty in the crop production. This included specific topics as thus;
Weather smart (Weather forecast, Index based insurance, Seed for needs, Crop diversification ,Agro forestry)
Water smart ( Direct seeded rice, Maize based system, Raised bed, Precision land leveling)
Carbon smart ( No-tillage, Residue management, Legume integration)
Nutrient smart ( SSNM, Nutrient expert decision support tool, Green seeker, Leaf color chart)
Energy smart ( No-tillage, Residue management, DSR, Precision water management)
Knowledge smart (ICTs, Gender empowerment, Capacity development, Woman and youth focus)