PEAS AND ENVIORNMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
Pea and other pulse crops (beans, chickpeas, lentils) are nitrogen-fixing. Instead of requiring nitrogen fertilizer manufactured from fossil fuel then transported to the farm, they are able to pull nitrogen from the atmosphere. Not only do the plants produce nitrogen for their own use, they leave enough nitrogen in the soil for subsequent crops grown on the same land. For organic growers, peas and other pulse crops play a critical role in sustainable crop rotation programs. Here are a few of the benefits of pulse crops:
- Pea and other pulse crops lower carbon dioxide emissions from agriculture
- There are lower input costs for farmers growing pulse crops
- Pulse crops have an important role in solving the challenge of sustainably feeding 9 billion people by 2050 (UN population forecast, 2007)
For detailed information on pulses and environmental stewardship, check out the environmental section of the Pulse Canada web site.
LIGHT, PORTABLE NUTRITION
As a company we ship field peas to many parts of the world. While we are concerned about using fossil fuels to ship our products, just like the voyageurs who opened up the North American fur trade, we also know that pound for pound we are optimizing the value of that fuel. Because our products are dry, we are not shipping water. We deliver economical, nutritious food to people who need it.
SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT
"We stand, in most places on earth, only six inches from desolation, for that is the thickness of the topsoil layer upon which the entire life of the planet depends." -R. Neil Sampson in Farmland or Wasteland: A Time to Choose.
