What are the History and Significance of World Pulses Day ?
UN World Pulses Day
World Pulses Day is a global event designated by the United Nations to know the importance of pulses (chickpeas, dry peas, lentils, dry beans, and lupins among others) as a global food. Since 2019, it has been proclaimed on February 10 of each year by the General Assembly of the UN on December 20, 2018.
What are pulses?
Pulses, also known as legumes, are the edible seeds of leguminous plants cultivated for food. Dried beans, lentils, and peas are the most commonly known and consumed types of pulses.
Staples dishes and cuisines from across the world feature pulses, from hummus in the Mediterranean (chick peas), to a traditional full English breakfast (baked navy beans) to Indian dal (peas or lentils).
Pulses do not include crops that are harvested green (e.g. green peas, green beans)—these are classified as vegetable crops. Also excluded are those crops used mainly for oil extraction (e.g. soybean and groundnuts) and leguminous crops that are used exclusively for sowing purposes (e.g. seeds of clover and alfalfa).
Why pulses?
Pulse crops have a lower carbon footprint than most foods because a small amount of fertilizer is required for them to grow. They also have a low water footprint as they can tolerate drought stress and are adapted to semi-arid conditions. But it is not just the sustainability factor: Pulses are inexpensive, easy to store, highly-nutritious, and their ability to enhance the soil microbiome has been crucial in improving farming techniques in rural areas with low-income.
In short, the world’s growing population could be fed more sustainably with pulses.
This celebration is recognition of the decisive role that pulses can play in achieving the comprehensive, far-reaching and people-centered set of universal and transformative goals and targets of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a plan of action that seeks to strengthen universal peace.
What is the purpose to celebrate World Pulses Day?
World Pulses Day provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the nutritional benefits of pulses as part of sustainable food production with the aim of enhancing food security and nutrition.
World Pulses Day also seeks to maintain the momentum gained during FAO’s announcement of 2016 as the International Year of Pulses.
Why are pulses important crops?
Nutritional value: They are packed with nutrients and have high protein content, making them an ideal source of protein particularly in regions where meat and dairy are not physically or economically accessible. Pulses are low in fat and rich in soluble fiber, which can lower cholesterol and help in the control of blood sugar. Because of these qualities, they are recommended by health organizations for the management of non-communicable diseases like diabetes and heart conditions. Pulses have also been shown to help combat obesity.
Food security: For farmers, pulses are an important crop because they can both sell them and consume them, which help farmers maintain household food security and create economic stability.
Environmental benefits: The nitrogen-fixing properties of pulses improve soil fertility, which increases and extends the productivity of the farmland. By using pulses for intercropping and cover crops, farmers can also promote farm biodiversity and soil biodiversity, while keeping harmful pests and diseases at bay.
Moreover, pulses can contribute to climate change mitigation by reducing dependence on the synthetic fertilizers used to introduce nitrogen artificially into the soil. Greenhouse gases are released during the manufacturing and application of these fertilizers, and their overuse can be detrimental to the environment.
Climate change mitigation: Pulses contribute to climate change mitigation by reducing dependence on the synthetic fertilizers used to introduce nitrogen artificially into the soil. This reduced use of synthetic fertilizers will reduce greenhouse gas emissions during their production.
International Year of Pulses
Though it seems acceptable, that value of Pulses and the day assigned to them would have glamourized their significance after December 2018 General Assembly’s resolutions by the UN, yet it is not so. Before the UN’s decision to delegate a day for the pulses, there had been significant work to describe the social, economic, and nutritional importance of pulses. For this purpose, the year 2016, as a whole was allocated to be observed as International Year of Pulses and the UN nominated The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to assist the enactment of this year in collaboration with all the governments and organizations. The day tended to formulate a chain of communication, trade, and nutrition among the countries through the United Nations.
The theme of World Pulses Day 2021
“Nutritious Seeds for a Sustainable Future” was determined as a slogan to be raised in the year 2016 after its nomination as International Year of Pulses. This year specified and stressed the nutritious importance of Pulses and since then it has been declared the theme from the year 2019(10th February, first observance as a day) to the current year, 2021’s 10th February, as a similar domain to follow.
History of World Pulses Day
As they have remained a larger source of human and animal nutrition for around 10 thousand years, pulses themselves have a very ancient history. However, their significance was decided as the world’s concern for meeting the new targets to feed a mess of population through a safe, hygienic, and adequate diet has increased due to male-nutrition, hunger, and poverty, and food scarcity. The rate of global Pulse production was doubled to 70 million tons in 2010 and this was all feasible because of the Pulses’ tendency to grow in any atmosphere. However, in 2016, the larger part of the world’s crops (40%) was lost to plant pests lost much of the world’s crops (40 percent) and it became inevitable to foster new plants that may be more resistant to the pests and may have efficient and climate-friendly nature. Likewise, the loss of crops due to plant diseases and pests costs approximately 290$ billion per year. However, research carried out by FAO, on the other hand, indicated that pulses appeared to grow in any atmosphere, was climate-friendly, while, their mineral resources might make them incomparable to any other source of food. The year 2016 was therefore entitled as an International Year of Pulses that could enlighten the significance of Pulses to the entire world. In December 2018 following a similar pattern of concern and demand, United Nation’s General Assembly held its 73rd session on World Pulses Concern in collaboration with the Government of Ghana, the Government of Kenya, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In view of improved technological, social, and environmental unpredictability plus hunger based economic depravity in view, it was indicated that 10th February should therefore be observed as an International Day of Pulses thence, by 2050; the global pulse production rate will once again be doubled.
Takshila learning joins in celebrating World Pulses Day by emphasizing the importance of pulses for the rejuvenation of the masses. Pulses should be an important part of our daily meals to obtain a complete and balanced diet. As pulses remain an important part of daily life in the same way the learning from Takshila learning is an important part of every academic and professional course.
Enroll in Takshila learning to know about the significant aspects of intake for the body as well as for the mind
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