Food Legumes for Sustainable Crop Intensification of Rice-Based Cropping Systems: Bolstering Food and Nutritional Security in South Asia

Abstract

Food legume crops are gaining significant recognition as a crucial option for sustainable intensification of rice fallows in rainfed lowland agroecology, offering substantial potential to enhance food and nutritional security while enhancing soil health and ecosystem services. In South Asia, 22.3 million hectares of fallow land offer opportunities to boost food legume production, nutrition, soil health, and smallholder farmer income by leveraging legumes’ nitrogen-fixing ability and integrating them into cropping systems to improve soil organic carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Legume-based intensification and diversification have been accompanied by innovations that include short-duration, nutrient-dense, high-yielding varieties that fit well in the rice fallow system. Innovative seed systems, coupled with effective value addition support, market linkages, and intensive extension efforts, are positioned to enable farmers to choose food legumes as a sustainable option for crop intensification and diversification. Despite advancements, challenges such as location-specific innovations and scaling up adoption of modern technologies must be addressed to fully realize the impact of food legumes in cereal-based cropping systems. This chapter highlights the importance of introducing food legumes to sustainably intensify rice-based cropping systems in South Asia, covering existing approaches, potential scope, challenges, and associated socioeconomic and environmental impacts.