On April 10, 2025, more than 60 stakeholders gathered at the Sario Building of the Public University of Navarra (UPNA) in Pamplona for a technical conference on grain legume management. Organised by our partner INTIA, in collaboration with the AN Group and the Public University of Navarra (UPNA), the event brought together researchers, farmers, cooperatives, and policymakers to discuss the challenges and strategic opportunities of integrating legumes into European farming systems.
The conference was inaugurated by the Director-Manager of INTIA, Natalia Bellostas (INTIA-UPNA) and the Director of the AN Foundation, Maite Muruzábal (AN Group – UPNA) and continued with technical presentations on the situation of the legume sector and on-farm experiences, ending with visits to trials carried out by INTIA and the AN Group in Tafalla and Olite.
The opening of the conference highlighted the benefits of legumes, both agronomically and strategically. Agronomically, the ecosystem services provided by legumes such as nitrogen fixation in the soil by leguminous plants allow for a reduction in the use of mineral fertilisers. Moreover, as discussed during field visit, the introduction of legumes in crop rotation increases biodiversity, which helps to break the cycles of diseases, pests and weeds and, consequently, reduces the need to use phytosanitary products. From a strategic point of view, legumes support local plant protein autonomy and contribute to the integrity of the value chain. Therefore, the promotion of leguminous crops is presented as a key strategy for a more sustainable agriculture.
The conference began with presentations on the situation of the legume sector with Oscar Lanzaco (APROSE) on ‘Certified seed in legumes: current situation and prospects’; Carmen Goñi (INTIA) with ‘Health in the cultivation of legumes’ (LIFE-IP NADAPTA-CC) and Paz Fentes (MAPA) on ‘Government incentives for legumes’. In the second part of the conference dedicated to on-farm experiences, Daniel Plaza (UdL) spoke on ‘Innovative crop systems including grain legumes’; Lucía Sánchez (INTIA) with ‘Lines of work on legumes in INTIA (VALERECO project)’; Gámez (IdAB-CSIC) with ‘Satellite images as tools for monitoring legumes’; and Sergio Menéndez (AN Group) with ‘Experiences with legumes in the AN Group’.
Finally, the participants visited legume field trials. In Olite, they visited the pea variety and, in Tafalla, the participants visited the legume rotation trial within the framework of the VALERECO project.
INTIA’s Role in VALERECO
As part of the VALERECO project, INTIA will carry out a rotation trial including three leguminous crops: broad bean, pea, and chickpea. Different indicators will be evaluated, along with qualitative aspects of production, soil fertility, biodiversity, and types of weeding. INTIA will also contribute to the establishment of one of the project’s nine ‘Living Laboratories’, bringing together various sectoral actors to co-design tests and assess the ecosystem services provided by leguminous crops. These living labs will feature meetings and field demonstrations with stakeholders interested in legume production. In addition, INTIA will assess the life cycle of each crop, offering an integrated view of the economic, technical, and environmental dimensions of legume-based farming systems, while also evaluating their technical feasibility within crop rotations.
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