2016 will be recognized as International Year of Pulses

Nov 12, 2015

Designation was announced by the United Nations

With just over a month to go in its 2015 International Year of Soils celebrations, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations announced the focus of celebrations in 2016.

2016 will be recognized as the International Year of Pulses.

The FAO is hoping the yearlong dedication to pulses will increase public knowledge about pulses, their nutritional benefits, trade challenges facing pulses and more.

The United Nations defines pulses as “crops harvested solely for dry grain” and “annual leguminous crops yielding between one and 12 grains or seeds of variable size, shape and colour within a pod, used for both food and feed.”

Examples of pulses include lentils, beans, peas and chickpeas.

Pulses

According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, the United States exported more than $800 million worth of dry pulses in 2014, most of which went to Mexico and India.

When it comes to Canadian production of pulses, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s data from 2009 shows that more than 2 million hectares of pulses were harvested, resulting in more than $2 billion worth of exports. The top destinations for Canadian pulses in 2009 were India and Bangladesh.

The United Nations has launched an online album on Flickr for people to view the ongoing celebrations and will be using the hashtag #LovePulses on Twitter to increase social media engagement.

Join the conversation and tell us your thoughts about 2016 being the International Year of Pulses. What are some unknowns about pulses that consumers need to know?

Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.