Climate resilient fava bean cultivation as mid-Atlantic crop gets US$2.7M boost

22 Jan 2024 --- The high protein content of the fava bean has garnered significant attention from the US Department of Agriculture, which has granted the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Virginia Tech US$2.7 million to pilot a multistate project that will cultivate the bean as a fall and winter crop in the mid-Atlantic.

The funding has been made available through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture Specialty Crops Research Initiative because of the crop’s cool-weather hardiness and potential to provide enhanced nutrition to a sizable population. 

“The fava is gaining popularity in Europe and the US because of an increased trend in veganism. Among the pulses, the fava bean has the highest protein content — 50% over that of lima beans — based on our preliminary data, which makes it a fabulous choice for plant-derived protein products for vegan diets, says Maria Balota, professor in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Virginia Tech.

Prime protein source
The whole bean can be eaten or turned into an edible meal. Fresh and dry fava seeds can be used in hummus, soups and sautéed or puréed dishes. The young leaves can be tossed into salads, while stems and old leaves can be mixed with the soil to improve the soil. 

“Growing resilient crops to climate change is one way to achieve agricultural sustainability in an evolving environment. We can improve traditional plant varieties’ tolerance of more extreme temperatures and rainfall through breeding,” Balota explains.

“In addition to this strategy, we can scavenge for crops that fit this new environment naturally. Fava beans are a cool-season legume that fit well into the winter production systems of the mid-Atlantic.”

The legume has been a staple in the African, Asian and Mediterranean diets for centuries but has never before been cultivated in the mid-Atlantic. One cup of fava beans has 13 g of protein — making it a better protein source than most other legumes. It contains a high level of fiber, potassium and iron. Fava bean is a good cover crop that improves soil health, slows erosion, and controls pests, diseases and weeds. 

Rewarding climate-smart practices
The researchers will create extension programs for farmers and industry partners and convene a fava bean advisory committee composed of researchers, growers, processors, seed producers and farmers market representatives, who will meet annually to evaluate the program and the crop’s potential for broader production.

Planting cover crops as part of a “climate-smart practice” that supports pollinators such as bees will be rewarded by federal and state incentive programs. Virginia farmers typically grow more than 430,000 acres of cover crops to enhance soil nutrients before planting cash crops in the spring.

“Why not attempt to grow a legume, either as a green fava bean or dry fava seed, as a major crop that can bring farmers soil benefits along with some cash? It’s a win for Virginia’s farmers, the state’s economy and the climate,” says Balota.

Fava bean and pea-based products are safe alternatives to red meat because they provide sufficient amino acids and protein intake without compromising bone health, according to a study by researchers at the University of Helsinki, Finland.

In addition to extracting bioactive peptides from fava beans using precision tech as a muscle health solution, Nuritas and Maastricht University, the Netherlands, have published a clinical trial demonstrating the effectiveness of the company’s plant-based bioactive peptide solution, PeptiStrong.

By Inga de Jong