Diversity of protein-crop management in western France

Abstract

In the European Union (EU), local production of protein crops (faba bean, field pea, lupins) is of primary interest to help farmers depend less on purchased feed, provide agronomic benefits to cropping systems, and increase the EU's protein self-sufficiency. Nonetheless, farmers rarely grow protein crops, which currently represent less than 1% of the EU's arable land. We assumed that exploration of farmers' practices will bring focus on (i) their motivations for growing protein crops, so that extension programs can be improved based on these motivations, and (ii) the diversity of their crop management so that promising ones can be disseminated. In western France, a two-step survey was conducted among farmers who grew protein crops. The first step was an online survey of 127 farmers that aimed to characterize their farming systems. The second step was a face-to-face survey (69 volunteers from the 127 farmers) that aimed to collect precise data on management of protein crops. The main motivations of surveyed farmers for growing protein crops were related to (i) replacing imported soybean with farm-grown protein crops and (ii) pre-crop values of protein crops (i.e., benefits of protein crops for subsequent crops). Based on conventional farmers' answers, we estimated a pre-crop value of 118 € ha −1 , which notably contributes to gross profit at the crop-rotation scale. Moreover, in our study, yields of protein crops did not differ significantly between conventional and organic systems. This offers an interesting opportunity for conventional systems to integrate organic practices, such as complex intercropping, to reduce variable costs (costs of seeds, pesticides, regulators, and chemical fertilizers) and increase gross profits. This study shows for the first time that, in western France, pre-crop values of protein crops and their suitability for low-input systems are undervalued and could be emphasized more strongly to encourage their adoption.

Greening and legume-supported crop rotations: An impacts assessment on Italian arable farms

“…At the current level of technology, legume-supported crop rotations could sustain natural resources and improving environmental quality as the legumes crops demand less inputs than many crops and show a high level of resource use efficiency and support biodiversity (Zander et al, 2016). In the EU, local production of protein crops could be of primary interest to help farmers depend less on purchased feed, provide agronomic benefits to cropping systems, and increase the EU's protein self-sufficiency (Carof et al, 2019). In the Mediterranean farming system, the cereal-legume intercropping could be a sustainable intensification tool specifically suitable for crop/livestock mixed systems under rainfed condition (Monti et al, 2019).…”

Economic Drivers of Legume Production: Approached via Opportunity Costs and Transaction Costs

“…The database from the literature review [44] showed that the opportunity costs of legumes that replaced wheat (hereafter "legume-wheat") were positive in 10 of the 12 case studies studied (i.e., mean annual a priori gross margins were lower than those of wheat). More recently, compared to an a priori gross margin of wheat, the a priori gross margin of pea was estimated to be 56% lower in southwestern France [45], while another study estimated those of pea, lupin and faba bean in Brittany to be 50% lower [14]. Therefore, legume-wheat opportunity costs in these studies were positive.…”

“…In the study [44], the gross margins of wheat and canola were calculated when they were included in rotations with legumes in southern Australia: a priori gross margins of the two crops in rotations with legumes were higher than those in rotations without legumes, as long as nitrogen fertilization was less than 75 kg N.ha −1 . In another study, a potential increase in gross margin of 118 €.ha −1 was estimated for conventional rotations with grain legumes compared to those without [14]. Finally, compared rotations with/without grain legumes were compared in three European regions [51].…”

“…First, for opportunity cost at the farm scale, farmers often consider legumes as less profitable in the short term than other more common crops on the farm (e.g., wheat, rapeseed) [13], even though this assessment must be balanced in certain cases (e.g., organic farming) [14] or in areas with a climate more favorable to these types of production. In contrast, at the rotation scale, if one considers the decreased inputs (e.g., nitrogen fertilizers) and/or increased yields of subsequent crops, the profitability can be increased.…”

Molecular Detection of the Seed-Borne Pathogen Colletotrichum lupini Targeting the Hyper-Variable IGS Region of the Ribosomal Cluster

“…Lupin is an important crop mainly due to its elevated seed protein content, its adaptability to low fertility soils, and its valuable influence on crop rotation [1,4,5,6]. The seed composition of specific cultivars of white lupin ( Lupinus albus ) is very similar to soybean (35% proteins and 0.5% starch), with some species that are able to reach high levels of up to 18% of oil content.…”