Prospective Cultivation Area of Field Peas Used in Animal Meat Substitutes in the EU

Meat alternatives from leguminous raw materials are expected to play an increasing role in human nutrition. Additional global cultivation areas and additional general cultivation potential for peas as raw material for meat substitutes are projected to increase. The aim of the present study is to estimate the prospective area of peas for pea-based meat alternatives in the EU within a simple model calculation. With a consumption share of 2 % for pea‐based meat alternatives in the EU, the effects on the production volume and pea cultivation area would remain relatively small. With an increased consumption share of pea‐based meat alternatives of 12.5 % the pea cultivation area would rise to almost 100 % compared to the current cultivated area. By the third scenario with a consumption of 40 % pea-based meat, the cultivated area would triple. However, the additional share of the pea cultivation area in the total arable area in the EU would be only a small additional increase. Thus, increased pea cultivation would only have minor effects on competition for agricultural land. If pea-meat replaced animal meat, land used for animal feed production would become available

What vegetable oils and proteins for 2030? Would the protein fraction be the future of oil and protein crops?⋆

To support the reflections of the French professionnels of vegetable oils and proteins, a foresight study was carried out to 2030 horizon (15 years), to shed light on the opportunities that will draw the oilcrops and grain legumes, and the areas of growth for the French and European vegetable oil and protein sector. The thinking was organized in the form of four different scenarios for 2030, which illustrate different logical evolutions of the context and related key issues, under the pressure of demographic, economic and socio-political constraints. It is clear that the economic value of the protein fraction is a key aspect of the future of oilseeds such as rapeseed, sunflower and soy. However, a saturated market for vegetable oils falls within the trend but is not a certainty

What vegetable oils and proteins for 2030? Would the protein fraction be the future of oil and protein crops?

To support the reflections of the French professionnels of vegetable oils and proteins, a foresight study was carried out to 2030 horizon (15 years), to shed light on the opportunities that will draw the oilcrops and grain legumes, and the areas of growth for the French and European vegetable oil and protein sector. The thinking was organized in the form of four different scenarios for 2030, which illustrate different logical evolutions of the context and related key issues, under the pressure of demographic, economic and socio-political constraints. It is clear that the economic value of the protein fraction is a key aspect of the future of oilseeds such as rapeseed, sunflower and soy. However, a saturated market for vegetable oils falls within the trend but is not a certainty

Analysis of EU legume value chains from the H2020 LegValue project: What insights for organic value chains?

This paper presents the results of a legume-based value chain analysis based on twenty-seven case studies in the H2020 LegValue project and discusses those relating to organic legume-based value chains. The analysis aims to illustrate the diversity of legume-based value chains and to discuss the conditions by which they can successfully meet the growing demand for legumes in the EU. The research is based on a qualitative survey of the value chain stakeholders in the case studies. Regarding organic legume-based value chains, the analysis reveals two types that depend on the stakeholder type at the launch of the value chain, the stakeholder’s primary objective in the chain, and the organic legume species involved. The first value chain type is launched by extension services with an aim of developing the organic production of a single legume species. The second type is launched by a stakeholder (processor or collector) acting further downstream in response to market demand for several legume species. A key success factor for these value chains is the ability of the launcher to ensure close coordination along the chain. To achieve this, several means and tools have been identified: the setting-up of a value chain development project, the implementation of contracting practices, production support programmes (technical assistance, financial support), and market support programmes (information sharing, regulation, facilitators)

Pea and rapeseed acreage and land use for plant-based meat alternatives in the EU

Plant-based meat alternatives from grain legumes and oil crops are expected to play an increasing role in human nutrition. Several commercially available products use pea protein isolate as protein basis and rapeseed oil as lipid basis. The aim of the present study is to estimate the prospective area of peas and rapeseed for plant-based meat alternatives in the EU. A simple calculation model is employed to assess the impacts on land use and imported deforestation, in case plant-based meat alternatives substitute meat consumption in different shares. Various data sources and scenarios were used to estimate the cultivation potential. While pea acreage would increase considerably compared to current production, additional rapeseed acreage would be more limited. Even in an extreme scenario of 100% substitution only 12% of EU’s arable land would be used for pea and rapeseed as main ingredients for plant-based meat alternative. If pea protein isolate and rapeseed oil as main ingredients of plan-based meat alternatives increase, the land currently used for animal feed production would become partly available and imported deforestation could be decreased: a substitution of 25% of meat consumption would allow to provide the equivalent of food proteins without extending the cultivated areas in Europe, while avoiding soybean and maize imports for feed

Enabling crop diversification to support transitions towards more sustainable European agrifood systems

• Crop diversification is a dynamic pathway towards sustainable agrifood systems. • Technological and institutional barriers restrict uptake of crop diversification. • More coordination and cooperation among agrifood system stakeholders is required. • The European Crop Diversification Cluster calls for multiactor networks. European cropping systems are often characterized by short rotations or even monocropping, leading to environmental issues such as soil degradation, water eutrophication, and air pollution including greenhouse gas emissions, that contribute to climate change and biodiversity loss. The use of diversification practices (i.e., intercropping, multiple cropping including cover cropping and rotation extension), may help enhance agrobiodiversity and deliver ecosystem services while developing new value chains. Despite its benefits, crop diversification is hindered by various technical, organizational, and institutional barriers along value chains (input industries, farms, trading and processing industries, retailers, and consumers) and within sociotechnical systems (policy, research, education, regulation and advisory). Six EU-funded research projects have joined forces to boost crop diversification by creating the European Crop Diversification Cluster (CDC). This Cluster aggregates research, innovation, commercial and citizen-focused partnerships to identify and remove barriers across the agrifood system and thus enables the uptake of diversification measures by all European value-chain stakeholders. The CDC will produce a typology of barriers, develop tools to accompany actors in their transition, harmonize the use of multicriteria assessment indicators, prepare policy recommendations and pave the way for a long-term network on crop diversification

The INCREASE project: Intelligent Collections of Food-Legume Genetic Resources for European Agrofood Systems

Food legumes are crucial for all agriculture-related societal challenges including climate change mitigation, agrobiodiversity conservation, sustainable agriculture, food security and human health. The transition to plant-based diets, largely based on food legumes, could present major opportunities for adaptation and mitigation, generating significant co-benefits for human health. The characterization, maintenance and exploitation of food-legume genetic resources, to date largely unexploited, form the core development of both sustainable agriculture and healthy food system. INCREASE will implement, on chickpea, common bean, lentil and lupin, a new approach to conserve, manage and characterise genetic resources,. Intelligent Collections, consisting of nested core collections, composed of single seed decent (SSD) purified accessions (i.e. inbred lines), will be developed, exploiting germplasm available both from genebanks, and on-farm, and subjected to different level of genotypic and phenotypic characterization. Phenotyping and gene discovery activities will meet, via participatory approach, the needs of various actors including breeders, scientists, farmers, agri-food and non-food industry, exploiting also the power of massive metabolomics and transcriptomics and of artificial intelligence and smart tools. Moreover, INCREASE will test, with a citizen science experiment, an innovative system of conservation and use of genetic resources based on a decentalised approach for data management and dynamic conservation. By promoting the use of food legumes, improving their quality, adaptation and yield, and boosting the competitiveness of agriculture and food sector, INCREASE strategy will have a major impact on economy and society, and represents a case study of integrative and participatory approaches towards conservation and exploitation of crop genetic resources