The French project "Insert Them": Adopting Legumes, from Field to Plate

Details

Published on 09 October 2024

How can we unlock the barriers hindering the growth of seed legumes in France? This is the challenge of the French project "Insert Them” (Insérez les, in French). Over four years, with support from the French National Research Agency (ANR), this project aims to facilitate innovations at all levels: agronomic, varietal, technological, economic, and societal. It is part of the national strategy for "Sustainable and Health-Favorable Food" under the 4th Investment Program for the Future.

Legumes, Species of Interest

At the official launch of the project on May 29 and 30, 2024, in Paris, attended by all partners, Afsaneh Lellahi, Deputy Director of Terres Inovia, emphasized the importance of "supporting farmers to maintain the acreage of these crops."

Legumes are species of interest due to their symbiotic ability to fix nitrogen in plant production and produce proteins for both humans and animals. This is why Terres Inovia has been heavily invested in this area since the Cap Protéines project, initiated as part of France Relance, aimed at "aligning solutions and pathways to facilitate transfer on the ground, maintain acreage, and provide prospects for these crops," confirmed Afsaneh Lellahi. It is in this context that "Insert Them" was born, alongside other R&D projects partnered with Terres Inovia, with a focus on Research & Innovation that complements the institute's field support actions.

A Collective Dynamic for a Systemic Approach

What is unique about the "Insert Them" project? It aims to create a broad collective dynamic around legumes at all levels, from upstream to downstream production.

This ambition was particularly praised by Marie-Benoît Magrini, an economist from the ODYCEE team at INRAE-UMR Agir, who was present at the launch meeting: "Overall, it is essential that all functions of innovation are activated simultaneously for them to succeed, which requires a systemic vision. Each individual in their field must think collectively, placing their proposals within the broader context of the contributions from other stakeholders in the value chain. This is a necessary condition to transform individual initiatives into collective success."