The benefits of grain legumes for an environment-friendly and sustainable European agriculture

Summary

The promotion of grain legumes would be a valuable strategy for the European Union because these crops (i) contribute to an energy efficient and sustainable agriculture, (ii) increase local sources of plant proteins, and (iii) reduce the agricultural contribution to greenhouse gases, as required by the Kyoto agreement. The environmental and social consequences of Europes policys for production of mainly cereals and to import protein in the form of soyabeans are not financially accountable, and these costs will have greater importance in the future due to social concerns for agricultural sustainability