his is the second Legumes conference organised by the AAB ‘Cropping And The Environment (CATE)’ specialist group. We will bring together delegates from a broad spectrum of disciplines to explore the role of legumes in sustainable agriculture, with an emphasis on ecosystem service. Importantly the event will have an international flavour as it features sessions on ‘Legumes in Africa’ and ‘Legumes Translated’.

Legumes have the potential to play a substantial role in sustainable agriculture, as a resource for pollinators and birds, in intercropping regimes, providing break crops in rotations, enhancing soil nitrogen levels, accessing soil phosphorous and promoting soil biodiversity. The overall GHG emissions associated with legume foods are low whilst products are highly nutritious and many raw legumes products can be readily stored for long periods without spoilage. As such their role in sustainable food production and security is growing.

This event was originally planned to take place in Angers, France but for obvious reasons will now take place virtually on the Zoom platform. AAB are committed to organising an inclusive event that provides focused oral presentations and promotion of virtual posters.