Good for a sustainable ecosystem and climate

A substitute for soy with far-reaching positive effects on the environment

• Many food products (and feedstuffs) contain climate-damaging soy products (fire clearing, transportation, etc.).
• In soy cultivation, parts of the rainforest are continuously cleared, with corresponding adverse effects on the climate.
• The domestic fava bean exclusively uses existing farmland and is integrated into the natural crop rotation.

The cultivation of local fava beans improves biodiversity, soil health and groundwater quality.

• Nitrogen fertilisation is unnecessary because the fava bean symbiotically converts air-nitrogen into soil-available nitrogen. The excess atmospheric nitrogen bound by the plant improves soil fertility for the following crop, resulting in the reduced need for fertilisation.
• Reduced nitrogen fertilization. This lowers the undesirable amount of nitrate in groundwater.
• Herbicides are also unnecessary, because the dense leaves of the field bean naturally fight weed.
• The fava bean plant provides food (nectar) and protected habitat (uncontaminated by pesticides) for insects.
• Ploughless cultivation is possible: support for a natural soil structure.
• The crushed plant is brought back to the soil forming humus during the bean harvest.

The fava bean is climate friendly

• Less nitrogen fertilisation means approx. 1,600 kg less climate-damaging gases per hectare (CO2 and nitrous oxide).

• Replacing soy with the regional fava bean means less deforestation of rainforests, which is important for the climate, and less transportation.

• Compared to a typical mineral fertiliser-based crop rotation, a leguminous-based crop rotation can reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by more than 50%. With only 0,3 Kg CO2 per Kg the fava bean belongs to the foods with the by far lowes  CO2 footprints. (see statistics).