Each year on February 10th, The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recognizes World Pulses Day, an international event acknowledging the power of pulses, the edible seed produced from legumes, for increasing global food security, building soil health, and diversifying agricultural systems.
Recognizing the value of these plants, The Land Institute is researching the hot pink flowered perennial legume sainfoin as a potential edible pulse with soil, pollinator, and climate mitigation benefits.
Because it can pull nitrogen from the atmosphere and incorporate it in soils, research teams at The Land Institute are exploring the role of sainfoin in providing this key plant nutrient to crops like Kernza when grown in companion, which could reduce or eliminate synthetic fertilizer inputs. Our food scientists are also studying the nutritional makeup of sainfoin seed and seeking FDA status for it to become a safe-to-eat food under the trade name perennial Baki™ bean.
Learn more about The Land Institute’s current research efforts at to make perennial Baki™ bean a reality.
In the News
Can Fields of Pink Be A Green Solution for the Planet and Our Plates? – Walton Family Foundation
Perennial Baki™ Bean Named Wilkes Climate Prize Finalist – University of Utah