World Pulses Day: the BEANS Meta-Network releases its first newsletter and reaffirms its commitment to sustainable food systems
On the occasion of World Pulses Day, celebrated each year to highlight the essential role of legumes in global agriculture and food systems, the BEANS Meta-Network launches its website and publishes its first official newsletter.
A collective commitment to pulses
Highly nutritious, beneficial for soil fertility, and essential for crop diversification, pulses represent a key lever for addressing today’s challenges, including climate change, land degradation, input dependency, and the resilience of food systems.
Through this newsletter, BEANS Executive Committee members reaffirm their shared commitment to promoting research, innovation, knowledge exchange, and regional partnerships in order to place pulses back at the heart of Mediterranean diets and agricultural value chains. The contributions highlight ongoing initiatives, best practices, and opportunities for collaboration among research institutions, policymakers, and field practitioners.
Download contributions from the members of the Executive Committee of BEANS:
- 🔗CIHEAM, Teodoro Miano, Secretary General of CIHEAM, Chair And Mouin Hamzé, Coordinator
- 🔗Biagio Di Terlizzi, Director of CIHEAM-Bari
- 🔗Athena Padilla, Partnership Analyst, Alliance Biodiversity & CIAT, CGIAR
- 🔗 Aly Abou-Sabaa & Shiv Kumar Agrawal, ICARDA
- 🔗Massimo Iannetta, ENEA
- 🔗 Mariem Bouhadida, INRAT & Zohra Lili Chabaane, IRESA
Strengthening regional cooperation
In this context, the network continues to advance its coordination and governance efforts. The next Executive Committee meeting, to be held online, is scheduled for March 2026. It will be followed by a second meeting in May 2026, hosted by ICARDA in collaboration with Morocco's national agricultural system. These gatherings provide a further opportunity to strengthen synergies among partners and define the network’s strategic priorities.
Empowering Change Through Knowledge
The International Day of Pulses is an opportunity to better understand their key role in the transition towards more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agri-food systems. It encourages awareness-raising, scientific dialogue, and the sharing of experiences across regions.
To support these efforts, the BEANS network provides access to a selection of scientific publications, webinars, and technical resources, available in the Resources section of the website.
🔥 Consult the CIHEAM team's recipe book !
