ICARDA joins the world in Global Pulse Day celebrations

On 18th of January, ICARDA celebrated the second ever Global Pulse Day, a global event to promote pulses and continue the momentum of the 2016 International Year of Pulses (IYP 2016).

The event aimed to raise awareness about the benefits of pulses as part of sustainable food production, nutritious diets, and new income opportunities for farmers worldwide.

ICARDA staff put on chef’s hats and whipped up a Pulses Kitchen Party at the Amman office. Staff got to visit five different kitchens and taste several pulse-based dishes. Among the pulses dishes on the menu were:

Lentil Soup (Syrian recipe), Kebbe (Armenian recipe), Mujadara (Jordanian recipe), Faba Beans Salad (Albanian recipe) and White Beans Salad with tahini sauce (Jordanian recipe).

Watch short video (Pulses Kitchen Party, Amman)

Also at its Morocco office, ICARDA joined INRA-Morocco and National Federation of Millers to celebrate the Global Pulse Day with farmers, researchers, industries, and wider public participating. Some 100 children from a preliminary school got to taste various dishes with pulses and learn about their many benefits.

are a vital source of protein, fiber and micro-nutrients, such as vitamin B, iron, folate acid and zinc, playing an important role in combating anemia widespread in developing countries. Pulses crops also contribute to sustainable agriculture through their nitrogen-fixing properties that lead to greater soil fertility. Further, pulses crops have a tiny water footprint compared to other protein sources, such as meats.

ICARDA is partnering with several countries in Africa and Asia to develop and promote improved crop varieties and production technologies for lentil, chickpea, and its mandate crops of faba bean and grasspea. To know more, visit: www.icarda.org/pulses