Case study 13: Why is lentil (Lens culinaris) cultivation a success story in south-west Germany? Case study 14: Why is soybean (Glycine max) cultivation a success story in south-west Germany?

Case Study 13
Though lentils (Lens culinaris) are a traditional crop in many temperate European countries, the crop disappeared from European cropping systems in the mid-20th century. Lentils are still an important food in traditional and modern cuisine, and they currently gain importance based on the demand for vegetarian and vegan food. The revival of lentil growing and lentil consumption in parts of Germany for the last 10 years is an unprecedented story of success. We want to use this experience to push the re-introduction and expansion of lentil in modern farming all over Europe, particularly in those countries from where the crop has disappeared in the last decades. We seek to multiply the lentil acreage, to increase and stabilize yields, and to network European lentil growers. Due to agronomic reasons, growers cannot easily extent their lentil acreage, although there are many obvious benefits for the stability of agro-ecosystems such as the mixed cropping of lentils, diversification of crop rotations and N-fixation. If we want to keep lentil growing running and expanding, we have to understand these settings if growing should be promoted. On-farm research and data compilation from existing field trials will help to develop new and ecological sound techniques for lentil growing in modern farming systems. In a broad on-farm survey data will be collected for the first time to describe the impact of lentil growing on the agro-ecosystem and to determine and describe factors for successful lentil growing. This will improve the cropping system and the willingness of farmers to adopt lentil growing and thus increase the lentil acreage. Main challenges of lentil growing will be identifie in order to ease the adoption of lentil growing. The results will be a basis for decision-makers in European policy and society to develop tools for improving and maintaining ecological value of farmland, and for generally maintaining and improving agriculture in Europe, particularly in economically in underdeveloped regions. Lentil is exceptional in comparison to other pulses concerning their use: they are exclusively used for human consumption, their amount of anti-nutritive compounds is lowest among all pulses grown in Europe, grains can be consumed without complex processing, and consumers will directly benefit from the results of the project. Particularly the increasing trend of vegetarian or vegan diet can be satisfied easily and best with lentils. The overall outcome of the study would be(i)identification of agronomic key factors for successful lentil growing; (ii)stabilising and improving lentil growing based on(iii)to export the idea of lentil growing and improved cropping systems to other regions and countries in Europe based on (i)and(ii).

Case Study 14
Several attempts have been made in the past to introduce soybean in temperate regions of Europe, which, however, did not lead to a long-lasting establishment of soybean cropping systems in agricultural practice. Now it seems there is a break-through in some regions of Germany, Eastern France, Austria and Switzerland, maybe due to climate change, the breeding and availability of adapted varieties (0,00,000-varieties), the demand for GMO free food and feed, and the demand for vegetarian/vegan food. The aim of the case study is to permanently integrate soybean in farming systems in temperate climates, to increase the stability and sustainability of soybean cropping systems, and thus to increase the soybean acreage in temperate climates in Europe. Currently, we assume that particularly organic farmers benefit from local soybean growing because of pest and disease risks field beans (Vicia faba) and peas (Pisum sativum) on the one hand, and the requirement of legumes for N-fixation in organic rotations on the other hand. In addition, local soy bean growing solves many problems related to the nutrition of monogastric animals in organic farming systems. For further expansion of soybean cropping in (temperate) Europe countries, the driving factors for soybean growing on practical farms (organic and conventional) have to be revealed in more detail. This approach should include experience from, and use contacts to, other European countries such as Austria.
As rotational diseases and pests limit the percentage of soybean on farmland, new methods have to be developed to improve and stabilize the agro-ecosystems while growing soybean. On-farm surveys will reveal the status quo of agro-ecological impacts and agronomic success of soybean growing, with focus on major selected factors to improve the agro-ecological value and to increase yields and yield stability. Soybean could be well introduced in regions where maize-monocropping is dominant, such as the southern Rhine valley in Germany, and thus to increase crop diversity in compliance with the overall aims of European policy and public. The outcome of the soybean case study can finally be well combined with the lentil case study from the same
stories of success but probably due to different reasons. Other crops which may be introduced in future into European agriculture will benefit from this knowledge and can be introduced more easily. The overall outcome of the study would be(i)identification of agronomic key factors for successful soybean growing in a temperate climate;(ii)stabilisation and improvement of soybean growing basing on (iii)to export the idea of soybean growing and improved cropping systems to other regions.