[NewsMedia_NewsRelease]
World Pulses Day leverages the power of youth to transform agrifood systems
Pulses contribute to creating livelihood opportunities and equity, says FAO

10/02/2022


10 February 2022, Rome – The cultivation of pulses, combined with the power of young people, can help achieve a transformation in our agrifood systems, said QU Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), at a virtual event held to mark World Pulses Day.


“Our agrifood systems need a paradigm shift,” said Dongyu, stating that “a focus on pulses can help us achieve this transformation, and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

World Pulses Day seeks to raise awareness of the role of pulses in addressing food security challenges and their contribution to achieving a healthy and balanced diet. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Pulses to empower youth in achieving sustainable agrifood systems”.  Currently, there are 1.8 billion young people in the world between the ages of 10 and 24 who have the creativity and energy for renewing perspectives and opportunities and, as Qu affirmed, it’s a potential we must tap into.


“Pulses contribute to creating livelihood opportunities and equity, which are essential for sustainable agrifood systems. FAO strongly supports the youth to become drivers of positive change,” Qu said.


Young people can bring added value to the promotion of pulses by shedding light on new business opportunities along the value chain, including by driving innovations to transform agrifood systems and boost pulse-based sustainable production. Young people are the best stewards for pulse innovation and their receptiveness to innovation can trigger real change.

The event kicked off with keynote speeches from Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Naoko Yamamoto, Assistant Director-General for Healthy Population at the World Health Organization (WHO), Nevzat Biriºik, Director-General of Agricultural Research and Policies at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Turkey and Cindy Brown, President of the Global Pulse Confederation (GPC).


The power of pulses


Pulses and legumes contribute to the sustainability of food systems and are one of the main enablers of healthy diets. They are essential for diversifying agricultural production systems contributing to Better Production, and are particularly important for sustainable crop production due to their ability to trap atmospheric nitrogen and improve the turnover of phosphorous, enhancing soil nutrient cycles and a Better Environment.


Pulses are also an affordable source of protein for a large proportion of the world’s rural populations who may have limited access to diversified diets. These species are also nutrient-dense, providing substantial amounts of vitamins and minerals that are important for good health, contributing to Better Nutrition.


The United Nations General Assembly designated 10 February as World Pulses Day after the success of the International Year of Pulses in 2016, which was implemented by FAO. The initiative has since been supported by many Member countries.

________________________________

Contact


Miranda Wadham-Smith
Communications Specialist
[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>

FAO News and Media
(+39) 06 570 53625
[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>

________________________________

Journalists & editors:
For video, photos, audio clips contact: (+39) 06 570 53625 or [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>.

Online tools:
Footage download via FAO Media Vault<http://tv.fao.org/>
Photos via the FAOnews Flickr account<http://www.flickr.com/photos/faonews>
FAO's online newsroom<http://www.fao.org/news/en/>
RSS feed<http://www.fao.org/news/rss-feed/en/> of FAO news releases
Follow us on Twitter: @FAOnews<https://twitter.com/faonews/>

This news release was issued by the Media Office at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). To unsubscribe from this news service send an email to [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> with "signoff Media-G-Eng-L" as the only text in the message body.

FAO | Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy | (+39) 06 570 53625 | www.fao.org<https://sfcs.fao.org/webapi/www.fao.org>