The magic of the humble lentil

When it comes to food security, much of the world is focused on headline-grabbing crops such as wheat, rice and maize. As a result, little attention has been given to the “quiet revolution” that has been taking place with a “humble” legume: the lentil.

In much of North Africa, the  Arab lands and South Asia, the lentil is much more than a crucial food staple. “In its growing region, lentil provides important economic advantage to small farm households in providing alternative source of protein, cash income and soil conditioning as a break crop in what have often become unsustainable, cereal-dominated farming systems,” says Dr. Shiv Kumar, a lentil breeder with the  International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA).

South Asia, chiefly India, Bangladesh and Nepal, is the largest producer, consumer and importer of lentils and accounts for 45 per cent of global lentil production. The “quiet revolution” in this part of the world has seen total lentil production double from 0.62 million tons in 1980 to 1.21 million tons in 2010.

Bangladesh reduces dependency on food imports

Traditionally more than half of the lentils consumed in Bangladesh have been imported. However, joint research between ICARDA and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) has helped reduce imports with the development of a number of new lentil varieties. These new short-duration, high-yielding, disease-resistant/tolerant lentils  are grown in the post-rainy season; usually about half as a sole crop and half intercropped with other crops. Increased lentil yields also allow many farmers to turn part of their land over to other crops and eliminate the need to find new growing areas.

In 2009, an ICARDA impact study showed improved varieties in the country had led to increased lentil production of about 55,000 tons valued at US$38 million annually. That’s a significant figure in an economy as fragile as that of Bangladesh.

Benefitting more than a million farmers

About 5.5 million people, including about 1.1 million smallholder farmers, are directly benefiting from improved BARI/ICARDA lentil technologies. Typically, farmers are using the extra income from lentils to purchase clothes and medicine, fund their children’s education, build brick houses, buy rice and bullocks, and repay loans.

The new lentil varieties, which contain higher levels of iron and zinc than those found in indigenous varieties, are also helping to fight “hidden hunger”, especially among pregnant women and pre-school children, for whom protein, iron and zinc deficiencies are a prevalent health hazard.

Boosting income and nutrition in Ethiopia

Similar lentil magic has been at work in Ethiopia, as a result of collaborative efforts between the Ethiopian Institute for Agricultural Research and ICARDA. Their joint legumes program has delivered lentils that yield six times the harvest of traditional landraces.

An IFPRI 2010 impact study, Pulses Value Chain in Ethiopia, shows that the high-yielding, rust- and wilt-resistant lentil varieties in Ethiopia led to an increase in lentil production of 23,777 tonnes in the 2009/2010 cropping season. This elevated production has resulted in a 600 per cent increase in lentil exports in 2008. The study indicates that lentils contribute significantly to Ethiopia’s balance of payments, with the legume now sitting amongst the top export crops, alongside coffee and sesame.

“Further lentil breeding with the production of varieties closely matched to local agronomic conditions and nutritional needs has the capacity to spread the benefits of higher farm incomes and healthier local people to regions far beyond Ethiopia and South Asia,” says Dr Maarten van Ginkel, ICARDA Deputy Director General (Research). “It is a magical crop, but it’s one that we continue to work hard on – with our partners in many countries – to deliver multiple benefits for some of the world’s most needy rural poor.”

Photo credit: ICARDA