This article from Civil Eats examines how the rise of both plant-based diets and regenerative agriculture practices have encouraged more farmers in the United States to grow pulses such as lentils, peas and chickpeas. As pulses become more popular with US consumers, a smaller fraction of the US pulse harvest is exported to other countries.
Part of the demand for pulses is coming from processed replacements for animal products. For example, protein from yellow peas is used in Beyond Meat’s Beyond Burger and in some plant-based milk and ice cream.
The piece also discusses how pulses can be incorporated into crop rotations, e.g. to fix nitrogen into the soil and reduce soil erosion.
Read the full piece, Plant-Based Diets and Regenerative Ag Have Sparked a Pea and Lentil Renaissance, here. See also the Foodsource building block What is ultra-processed food? And why do people disagree about its utility as a concept?
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