On February 10, by decision of the UN, World Pulses Day is celebrated. It was established by a resolution of the UN General Assembly in December 2018 at the initiative of the government of the Republic of Burkina Faso.
Legumes are dry seeds of leguminous plants, that is, plants whose fruits ripen in pods (beans). The most famous of them are peas, beans and lentils. It is known that legumes were part of the diet back in the Ancient World, where they were grown specifically for this purpose.
Legumes are part of the main dishes and are an integral part of the cuisines of the whole world: from Mediterranean hummus, which is made from chickpeas, to the traditional «full English breakfast» (stewed beans) and Indian dala (it is made from peas or lentils).
The official address of representatives of the African republic to the UN emphasized that the establishment of the holiday would be a natural continuation of paying attention to legumes as agricultural crops that play a big role in solving food problems and creating a healthy lifestyle through a healthy diet.
The fact is that back in 2013, the UN General Assembly drew attention to the role of legumes in solving important global problems: having high nutritional value, these crops help solve hunger problems in certain regions of the world, and their inclusion in a constant diet has a positive effect on health people. High protein content plays a role in replacing animal proteins contained in more expensive meat and dairy products, and the content of soluble fiber, amino acids, vitamins and microelements in leguminous cultures perfectly contributes to the normalization of many digestive processes.
The Government of Burkina Faso's appeal to the UN also pointed out the positive impact of leguminous crops on soil fertility, their ability to grow in a fairly dry climate, and the fact that legumes have good storage capacity.
Considering all these factors, at the December 2013 meeting, the UN General Assembly declared 2016 the World Year of Pulses. It was precisely in the desire to consolidate and further build on the success achieved by the events organized in 2016 as part of the World Year of Legumes that the Government of Burkina Faso proposed establishing an annual date dedicated to disseminating information on the benefits of leguminous crops.
Attracting the attention of agricultural producers, the UN invites them, together with representatives of academia and business, to strive to improve the cultivation of leguminous crops and increase their productivity. State participation in these processes is welcome.