Lentil (Lens culinaris) - often called the "poor man's meat" for its rich protein content and low price - is a major item in the diet of millions worldwide. Originated in Southwest Asia and one of the earliest plants to be domesticated, lentil has been part of the human diet since Neolithic times.

Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan produce about half the world's lentil crop, but lentils are grown in many other regions, including Europe (particularly in the Mediterranean), North America (with Canada producing over half a million tons a year), South America and Africa.

Improved, disease-resistant lentil varieties like Barimasur-4 (shown here) are sown on 60,000 ha in Bangladesh. The production gains - directly benefiting poor smallholder families - are worth $ 20 million every year.

The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) has a worldwide mandate for lentil improvement and has been conducting research on this crop for almost 3 decades. Over 100 improved varieties developed by the Center and its national partners have been released in 29 countries, helping to improve both nutrition and income in poor farm households.

Because of the importance of lentils in regional diets, national research programs in South Asia strive to improve yields and enhance the nutritional quality of the crop. ICARDA is a partner in these efforts, working with farmers and scientists in each country, providing training and improved germplasm for breeding, helping to test and promote new varieties, and connecting national institutions with the global scientific community. Four new lentil varieties recently released in South Asia show how well this partnership works.

In India, the Highlands Research Center in Almora, in the Himalayan foothills, has announced the release of lentil variety VL Masoor-507, developed from an ICARDA breeding line. The new variety gives 37% higher yields than local cultivars; is widely adapted and resistant to wilt disease, which causes severe losses in susceptible local varieties; and it has large seeds, which fetch higher prices on the market. The new variety is quickly spreading among farmers in the hilly areas of northern India.

In Pakistan, the Nuclear Institute of Agriculture and Biology in Faisalabad recently released the lentil variety Masoor-2006, also developed from an ICARDA line, ILL 2580. Like Masoor-507, this variety is high yielding, disease resistant and highly profitable, making it extremely popular with farmers. Large-scale seed multiplication is underway in Pakistan's Punjab Province to kick-start diffusion of the variety and enhance its contribution to productivity and food security.

In Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute recently released two lentil varieties, Barimasur-5 and -6, both developed jointly with ICARDA. The lines for these varieties were initially developed at ICARDA from Bangadeshi landraces and then tested and selected in Bangladesh. Both varieties are high yielding and disease resistant, and their adoption is spreading rapidly. They will not only improve nutrition and reduce the need for food imports, but also raise incomes among the rural poor, enabling them to repay loans and send their children to school. Improved lentil varieties developed through ICARDA partnerships now occupy over 60,000 hectares in Bangladesh, and the production gains are worth an estimated US$20 million per year.

These are only a few examples of successful partnerships of ICARDA's lentil program. The partners are working to develop and disseminate improved technologies, and so ensure that the poorest farmers can reap all the potential benefits that lentils have to offer.