World Pulses Day 2024 Opening Remarks

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Colleagues,

It is always a pleasure for me to be here and today is special because we celebrate World Pulses Day.

I first attended the World Pulses Day observance in 2019 in New York. This year the celebration coincides luckily with the occurrence of the Chinese Year of Dragon, which will start this Saturday, February 10.

Beans, soybeans, chickpeas, lentils, to name a few, make up the whole legume family. Along with their trees, leaves, and bushes, they are truly important for both feed and food.

A wide range of topics can be discussed to highlight the importance of celebrating World Pulses Day. Pulses are not only nutritious food for humankind, but also an important source of nutritious animal feed.  Some legume families have high quality bush, crops that can fix nitrogen from nitro, improving the soil quality.  

International days such as this one are important reminders of the unique features and contributions of certain crops and products. Pulses contribute to food security and nutrition, while protecting the environment.

They can also play an important role in the transformation of global agrifood systems because they are an affordable source of protein, of fiber and essential nutrients, which are key to a healthy diet, as well as for animal feed.

We have to look at crop production and livestock sustainability together. This integrated approach was the one I adopted during my tenure as a local leader in China.

FAO houses various technical divisions, each responsible for different aspects of its mission, a practice that has proven effective at headquarters. Conversely, agrifood systems at the country level are relatively small compared to their global counterparts. To ensure deliverables at the country level that can benefit farmers in the field, our local staff always work together as 'ONE FAO' to oversee the entire cycle from crops to animals.

Their versatility and resilience can improve both the health of our soils and of local communities. This is reflected in this year’s World Pulses Day theme: “Nourishing soils and people”.

The climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and soil erosion and degradation are key challenges, and pulses can be part of the solution. Their ability to thrive in diverse climates, together with their nitrogen-fixing properties, makes them very valuable.

When I was a scientist, we tried to clone genes related to fixation of nitrogen in the soil. What is the real scientific meaning and the best practice for that?

With almost a quarter of the world’s total land area degraded – in Africa it is nearly two-thirds of all the land - introducing pulses as part of intercropping, cover crops and crop rotation farming practices can improve soil health.

During COP28, there was a true commitment to accelerate the integration of agrifood systems into climate actions.

To maximize the climate and environmental benefits of agrifood systems, we must focus on conserving, protecting, restoring land and natural ecosystems, enhancing soil health and biodiversity.

Pulses can contribute to this in three key ways:

• First: they improve soil health and contribute to the long-term sustainability of farming systems;
  
• Second: they have a reduced environmental impact by minimizing the use of pesticides and fertilizers thereby reducing the negative effects on ecosystems; and
  
• Third: they are resilient to the impacts of the climate crisis. Through their broad genetic diversity and ability to thrive in diverse climates, they contribute to building resilience in agrifood systems.

FAO is committed to supporting Members to enhance the production and consumption of pulses to advance the transformation of agrifood systems to be more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient, and more sustainable, in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs.

And we will continue to support farmers and work with all the partners to unlock the potential of pulses. This will require investments of time and resources to:

• First: continue expanding the availability of genetic resources and investing in research and innovation;
  
• Second: leverage and upscale technologies and agricultural techniques; and
  
• Third: improve how we produce, harvest, process, and market pulses.
  

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Our work on pulses contributes to our aspiration of the Four Betters – better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind – as set out in the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Her Excellency the Permanent Representative of Niger, Chairperson of the World Pulses Day Steering Committee, and the Chair of the Africa Regional Group [GN1] at FAO, for her commitment and support to this International Day, and today’s event.

I encourage all of you – representatives of government, the private sector, international organizations, and all the long term committed partners – to continue working together with FAO, like you, friends from the European Union and other key partners here, always be our allies to support FAO’s mandate to unleash the full potential of pulses and their important contribution to building a more food secure world, and a more environmentally friendly farming system, that is also key.

Thank you.