http://www.fao.org/pulses-2016/en/ International year of Pulses 2016 - Global Dialogue - Group work onpolicy and advocacy

1. What determines what is on our plate, e.g. pulses
Want
Perception
Taste
Visual
Shame/pride
Tradition
Know
Quality of food
Knowledge (nutrition,
health, environment,
ecology)
Food composition
Can
Available
Lifestyle
Westernized diets
Price, time
Planification – soak
Cooking time

2. Production Consumption
Trader
In some countries
Farmer = consumer
Who influences whom?
Increase collaboration/communication between farmers, traders and consumers
-> to know each others needs
Research

3. Possible solutions to increase pulse consumption
• Include pulses recommendations in
• School nutrition/feeding programmes
• Government procurement programmes, e.g. hospitals, schools, prisons etc
• Food Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG) – specific on pulses
• Policies on nutrition, agriculture
• Dissolve stigma of being a poor man’s food
• Through chefs and 5 star restaurants, environmental impact
• Through cutting habit to decrease pulses consumption with increased income (FBDG,
Promotion)
• Increase availability of pulses and their products
• Include in take-away, restaurant menus
• Create and promote new recipes and pulse products. Promote traditional ones
• Increase knowledge on pulses and strive to use them
• Promote several pulses (not only 1) in addition to cereals
• Nutrition education campaigns
• Dissemination of nutritional and health benefits
• Increase collaboration/communication between farmers, traders and consumers
-> to know each others needs

4. What hampers the production and trade of
pulses?
Production
• Underdeveloped markets
• Small profit margins
• Lack of incentives (policies tend to promote other crops)
• Lack of agro-ecological adapted seeds and varieties
• Pulses are often relegated to marginal lands
• Cultural aspects and values
Trade
• High market price fluctuations
• Codex groups pulses together
• High phytosanitary requirements for accessing markets

5. Proposed solutions and approaches
• All solutions need to be highly context specific
• Solutions need to be inclusive of all stakeholders
• Learn from other countries’ success or lack thereof
• Focus policy and programmes on producers
• Farmers should be empowered to take informed
decisions vis-à-vis the adoption of pulses
• Balance the intrinsic drawbacks of pulses (such as lower
yields) by compensating pulses producers for the
environmental benefits of growing pules
• Establish direct incentives
• Improve mechanization, especially for smallholder
farmers
• Strengthen extension services
• Adopt ICTs
• Include pulses in nutrition policy & programmes
• Include pulses in public procurement schemes
• Include pulses in food-based dietary guidelines
• Include pulses in national nutrition policies
• Improved value chains of pulses
• Consumers play an important role in creating demand
and hence incentivize production
• Establish a formal (international) market for pulses on the
same line as the existing cereal markets
• Invest in infrastructure (storage, transportation)
• Process pulses into other foods (biscuits, etc.) to access
new markets
• Strengthen research
• Establish a global pulses institute or research consortium
• Tackle the demographic challenges to the research
community

6. How FAO can keep supporting pulses beyond
IYP 2016
• Continue developing the FAO/INFOODS global food composition
database on pulses
• Foster technical networks on pulses
• Include pulses in its market analysis work and publish statistics on
pulses
• Keep pulses in its programme of work