The contribution of pulses to net zero in the UK

Abstract

This paper takes a food systems perspective on the potential for increasing the consumption of locally-grown pulses to help achieve net zero UK agrifood. The UK agrifood sector is estimated to be responsible for a quarter of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, making it a priority sector for the UK’s net zero commitments. Pulses have been commonly identified as significant in driving emissions reduction throughout the value chain, whilst also delivering multiple co-benefits for biodiversity, soils, local economy and human health. Pulses can rely on nitrogen fixed from the atmosphere, thereby significantly lowering the requirement for applied nitrogen in the agricultural rotation to reduce the carbon costs of nitrogen fertiliser. They also provide a lower-carbon feed alternative to soy and could significantly reduce dietary emissions by supplementing protein in reduced meat diets. However, there are significant social, economic and technological barriers to increasing the production and consumption of pulses in the UK. Knowledge of growing pulses has dwindled, yields are not economically competitive, the infrastructure to support processing lacks investment, and consumer behaviour and preferences have shifted away from pulse-centric eating. Increasing the consumption of locally-sourced pulses in the UK will need a coordinated shift across the agrifood system. This paper explores how pulses currently contribute toward net zero, as well as the current barriers and future opportunities to increase net zero impact for each of the key activities and their associated stakeholders in the agrifood system: growers, processors and manufacturers, distributors, transportation and storage operators, consumers, and waste handlers. In so doing, the paper contributes to a field which tends to focus on the two ends of the value chain (production and consumption), whilst neglecting the ‘missing middle’ (what happens between the farm gate and the plate). In order to achieve this, the paper provides a topical review of recent research outputs from several fields, including agronomy, human geography, food science, nutrition and behavioural studies.