What do lentils have in common with climate resilience?

The answer may be surprising: small pulse crops play a key role in how we produce food, conserve soils, and adapt to climate change.

On 10 February, World Pulses Day, their growing importance comes to the forefront — from human nutrition and animal feed to soil restoration and the reduction of climate-related risks.

Pulses are leguminous crops cultivated for their dry seeds, which are used as a nutritious food source for people and as highly productive feed for livestock. The value of pulses extends far beyond their nutritional function.

Integrated Benefits for Soils, Climate, and Food Systems

Pulses possess a unique biological ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen through symbiosis with soil bacteria, converting nitrogen from the air into a form available to plants. As a result, farmers require less mineral fertilizer, production costs are reduced, and harmful emissions into the atmosphere decline.

In addition, pulses:

• use water efficiently, consuming up to ten times less than many other protein sources;

• enrich soils with organic matter and stimulate the development of the soil microbiome, improving overall soil condition;

• enhance soil structure and water retention through their root systems and organic matter;

• help break cycles of pests and diseases in crop rotations, increasing system resilience;

• pulses such as peas and lentils extract water from shallower soil layers, leaving more moisture available for crops in the following year.

These characteristics make pulses an important component of sustainable food production and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including food security, improved nutrition, and adaptation to the impacts of climate change.

How crop rotation and new support instruments contribute to sustainable agriculture in Northern Kazakhstan

Northern Kazakhstan occupies a key position in the country’s agricultural sector. More than 65 percent of Kazakhstan’s arable land is located in three regions of this area — Akmola, Kostanay, and North Kazakhstan regions — where cereal crops, primarily wheat, dominate.

According to 2024 data, the combined sown area of these three regions amounted to approximately 15 million hectares, with wheat accounting for around 10.2 million hectares, or more than two thirds of total arable land across the three regions.

In some regions, this concentration is even higher. In Akmola Region, cereal crops account for nearly 85 percent of total sown areas, increasing the vulnerability of agricultural systems to climate-related stresses and risks.

When wheat is grown almost everywhere, soils become depleted, dependence on fertilizers increases, and climate risks intensify.

Although pulses still occupy a relatively small share of arable land across Northern Kazakhstan, their share over the past ten years has not exceeded 4-6 percent. At the same time, analysis of sown areas highlights an important regional feature: North Kazakhstan Region is already the national leader in pulse production:

• peas — approximately 76,000 hectares;

• lentils — approximately 168,000 hectares.

By comparison, the areas under these crops in other northern regions are several times smaller. It is also important to note that for northern regions pulses are not only about arable land and soil health, but also about feed security.

The region accounts for:

• around 33 percent of the country’s poultry population;

• a significant share of cattle and horses.

At the same time, feed availability analysis reveals vulnerabilities in the system. In several regions, feed reserves at the beginning of the year cover only 70–120 days of livestock needs. This further underscore the importance of pulses, and legumes more broadly, as a component of a sustainable feed base and a means of reducing risks in livestock production.

The FOLUR project: integrated solutions for resilience

In response to these challenges, the FOLUR (Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration) project, implemented by UNDP in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, is introducing integrated practices and innovative support mechanisms aimed at environmentally responsible land use and strengthening the resilience of agricultural systems.

One of the key mechanisms being piloted under the project is a long-term forward purchasing instrument for pulse crops, primarily lentils, combined with reciprocal obligations for agricultural producers to comply with crop rotation requirements. 

This approach makes it possible to:

• provide farmers with guaranteed market access before the sowing season;

• reduce price and market risks;

• encourage the inclusion of pulses in crop rotations;

• improve soil condition without loss of income.

As a result, pulses become not an experiment, but an integral element of a sustainable production model.

On World Pulses Day, it is important to emphasize a key conclusion: for the country’s agricultural sector, pulses are not a niche crop, but a strategic component of sustainable agriculture.

Northern Kazakhstan is a region where agriculture operates across vast areas. Even small changes in crop rotation structure can therefore generate effects at scale — for soil health, crop resilience, and farm economics.