Legumes cultivation

In total, 2.8 kg of crops fit for human consumption, such as cereals and legumes, are required to produce 1 kg of boneless meat from ruminants (e.g. cows). An advantage of ruminants is that they largely eat feed that humans cannot eat, however, plant protein fit for human consumption is still used. The biggest disadvantage of meat from ruminants is the high greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that the animals emit.

In comparison, 3.2 kg of crops fit for human consumption are required to produce 1 kg of boneless meat from monogastric animals (e.g. pigs). These animals emit significantly less GHG but require a greater amount of plant protein fit for human consumption than they contribute to in terms of animal protein.

It would be possible to get substantially more food from each hectare of arable land if the crop became food instead of feed. Hence, it is not necessarily true that there will not be enough food for a growing population in the future. We must, however, eat differently.

Sweden needs grazing cows to keep the countryside open and maintain the biodiversity. There are many advantages with meat from grass fed and pasture-raised animals; they convert plant protein unfit for humans to animal protein that humans can consume, and make use of grassland that isn’t ploughed, sowed, fertilized or cultivated. But far from all Swedish meat comes from natural grazing. Furthermore, almost half of all the meat is imported and from animals that have been fed cereals and soy, food that could have been used for human consumption. Sweden’s demand for imported meat indirectly leads to the use of fertile land in low-income countries going to animal feed instead of food that could have been consumed locally.

Today, there is an increase in the growth of meat and dairy substitutes, which is positive. However, most of these products are made from soy; a good crop from a nutritional perspective, but often grown on the other side of the world and in a manner which harms both nature and the people involved in the production.

In 2020, only 1% of the Swedish arable land was used for legume cultivation and 80% of the harvest ended up as animal feed.

According to the EAT-Lancet report published in January 2019, Swedes intake of legumes need to tenfold to keep both climate and health in check. The most optimal would of course be to produce more of the crops we need here at home. There are several promising candidates, such as sweet lupine, field peas, broad beans and grey peas to name just a few.

An obstacle to increased domestic legume production is the lack of a functioning infrastructure for processing legumes, such as food-approved facilities for cleaning, peeling, processing and packaging. Today, there are numerous farmers in Sweden who want to grow legumes, and there are consumers who want to buy – but several links in the chain are still missing. Very few consumers are willing to soak and cook legumes themselves, which is required for us to be able to eat them.