Yearly meeting with researcher network for legumes

At this year's meeting in Skara, LegSA’s members presented ongoing research on a plurality of topics such as: control of pathogens in soil, intercropping with legumes and other crops such as corn and grain and feeding of legume seeds to ruminants.

A network with ambitions
EPOK recently released an agenda for research in organic production that was used as the basis for the afternoon group discussion about the need for future research on legumes. The day ended with the formulation of two ambitions for LegSA in the coming years:

- Organize a graduate course on legumes and seek funding for a synthesis work, and
- The writing of a strategy for increased use of legumes in Swedish agriculture.

LegSA was founded in 2010
LegSA was formed in 2010 after an initiative of Kerstin Huss-Danell, Department of Northern Agricultural Sciences, SLU and Erik Steen Jensen and Georg Carlsson at the Department of Biosystems and Technology, SLU. It currently has more than 70 subscribers on the email list, and a website – www.slu.se/legumes – with information about the network's activities.

Plans for the future
Network members meet at least once a year at different SLU localities. The 2013 LegSA meeting was arranged at SLU in Skara. Georg Carlsson, contact person for the network, told about LegSA’s background, recent activities and plans for the future. Among other things, the network hopes to contribute to the shaping of a broad-based strategy to increase the use of legumes in agriculture and as healthy and environmentally friendly food.