2 September 2016, Rome – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed a $100,000 contribution grant by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to promote activities linked to the International Year of Pulses (IYP).

The agreement aims to support a series of initiatives around the world to raise awareness on the nutritional importance of pulses and the critical role they play as part of sustainable food production.

In particular, the funds will assist FAO and its partners with a series of regional and global campaigns and dialogues aimed at sharing knowledge and information on pulses, as well as address global issues in the production, consumption and trade of pulses.

This includes ways in which pulses contribute to healthier diets and to climate change adaptation and mitigation; how they help to contribute to biodiversity; and their importance for the livelihoods of small-scale family farmers, especially in developing countries.

With the slogan “Nutritious seeds for a sustainable future”, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2016 as the International Year of Pulses to raise awareness of the many benefits of pulses, boost their production and trade, and encourage new and smarter uses throughout the food chain.

FAO is working closely with its member states, civil society, the private sector, farmers’ organizations, IFAD and other stakeholders on a series of activities related to its IYP action plan for which funding contributions have been received from the Government of Turkey, the Global Pulse Confederation and Colfiorito, a company based in Umbria, Italy that specializes in the production of pulses.

An important initiative related to the IYP is the development of a global database consisting of two parts. The first will serve as repository of existing analytical data extracted from a pool of 22,000 scientific articles and other sources such as unpublished laboratory reports, while the second will contain a user-friendly interface showing the complete nutrient profile – including 28 nutrients and amino acids – of different types of pulses.

Other major products of the IYP include forthcoming studies on the world pulses economy and a publication on pulse by-products as animal feed.