Food legumes â?? Climate smart crops to improve human nutrition and food security in the developing countries

Food legumes such as pea, chickpea, lentil, faba bean, pigeon pea, mung bean and urd bean provide

dietary protein, B vitamins and minerals (Fe and Zn) to the millions of people all over the world. They

facilitate to maintain food and nutritional security of resource poor people particularly, living in the

developing countries. Besides, they are the great option for climate smart agriculture. The small-

holder farmers and the vulnerable households affected by drought and high temperature stress can

cultivate food legumes in order to ensure food and nutritional security. Increasing the essential

nutrient content and its bioavailability of the food legume crops through biofortification approaches,

namely transgenics, agronomy, breeding and microbiology; either alone or in combination with one or

more approaches would bring maximum benefit to several communities around the world. Food

legumes could be an excellent solution to combat global food and nutritional insecurities, as well as

other human health issues.

Author(s): Karthika Rajendran

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