Good for ecology and climate

Soy substitute with far-reaching environmentally friendly effects

• Many food (and feed) products contain climate-damaging soy products (slash-and-burn, transport, etc.)
• Parts of the rainforest are continuously cleared for soy cultivation, with corresponding effects on the climate.
• The native field fava bean exclusively uses existing arable land and integrates into the natural crop rotation.

Growing native fava beanimproves biodiversity, soil health and groundwater

• Nitrogen fertilization is not required because fava bean symbiotically converts atmospheric nitrogen to soil-available nitrogen. The excess atmospheric nitrogen bound by the plant improves the soil fertility for the following crop, so that fertilization can be reduced here.
• Reduced fertilization with nitrogen lowers the undesirable nitrate content of groundwater.
• Herbicides are also not necessary. The dense foliage of the fava bean naturally controls weeds.
• The fava beanprovides food (nectar) and protected habitat (unpolluted by pesticides) for insects.
• Plowless cultivation possible: support for a natural soil structure.
• The shredded plant is added to the soil for humus formation as early as the bean harvest.

The fava bean is good for the climate

• Less nitrogen fertilization means about 1,600 kg per hectare less climate-damaging gases (CO2 and nitrous oxide).
• Replacing soy with the regional field fava bean means less deforestation of rainforests that are important for the climate and less transportation.
• Compared to a classical mineral fertilizer-based crop rotation, a legume-based crop rotation can reduce the global warming potential by more than 50%. With only 0.3 kg CO2 per KG, fava bean is one of the foods with by far the smallest CO2 foodprint.