Key Insights:
- Environmental Costs of Livestock Production: Keller et al. (2024) highlight Switzerland’s reliance on feed imports for livestock production, which incurs high environmental costs and looks at ways to further enhance sustainable agriculture.
- Growing Demand for Plant-Based Proteins: With an increasing consumer shift towards plant-based diets, the study identifies a negligible current production of grain legumes (~9000 hectares) in Switzerland.
- Exploring Legume Protein Production: The research investigates the potential for expanding sustainable legume protein production through an expert survey and quantitative analysis, utilizing data on yield, soil, terrain, and climate.
Potential for Legume Cultivation in Swiss Agriculture
Keller and colleagues’ study explores the feasibility of expanding pea, soybean, and faba bean cultivation in Switzerland, contingent upon changes in policy, pricing, and breeding strategies. The authors propose two scenarios to enhance self-sufficiency and reduce environmental impacts:
- Scenario I: Identifies 107,734 hectares of suitable arable land for potential grain legume production.
- Scenario II: Suggests maximizing legume production on 181,479 hectares, replacing grassland and fodder maize. This shift could replace about 41% of animal protein consumption with plant-based proteins, preserving significant milk and meat protein portions.
Implications for Switzerland’s Agriculture
The study’s findings offer a promising outlook for Switzerland’s agriculture sector, suggesting that “domestic legume production could be substantially increased while improving human and environmental health.” This transition towards legume cultivation represents a strategic move to bolster food security, diversify agricultural production, and mitigate environmental impacts associated with livestock farming.
Policy, Pricing, and Breeding as Catalysts
The authors emphasize the necessity of policy, pricing, and breeding adaptations to unlock legume cultivation’s full potential in Switzerland sustainable agriculture. Such changes would support the expansion of sustainable agriculture practices and align with global trends towards more environmentally friendly and health-conscious food consumption.
Read the complete study here.
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