In the context of declining cultivation of grain legume crops in Europe, and at the initiative of COPA-COGECA, stakeholders and decision makers has debated the grain legumes economic sector on the 26 March in Brussels.

Grain legumes are crop plants belonging to the legume family with papilionaceous flowers and pods containing seeds. Most legumes do not need industrial fertilisers thanks to their natural symbiosis with Rhizobium which provides them with organic proteins made directly from atmospheric nitrogen. Grain legumes are cultivated primarly for their seeds which are rich in energy and protein.

380 international experts from 44 countries were gathered in Lisbon from 12 to 16 November to discuss the progress in legume knowledge, especially with the first outputs from the EU Grain Legumes Integrated Project (GLIP) coming to an end in 2008 which lead the research on nitrogen-fixing plants.

Get an united voice from legumes for R&D priorities! In Europe, one of the opportunities for sources of additional funds is the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7), the EU's main instrument for funding research in Europe. FP7 is running from 2007 to 2013. FP7 supports research in selected priority areas.