In recent years, in the framework of our legume-focused European projects (TRUE, DIVINFOOD, legumES), we have built a network of farmers and other relevant actors (restaurants, chefs, food bloggers, seed traders and breeders, consumer organisations, caterers), that now functions as a Living Lab connecting the actors of the legumes value chain in Hungary.

The overall aim of the Living Lab is to promote the cultivation and consumption of pulses in the country; to assist farmers from seed procurement to information on cultivation technology and product marketing; to encourage chefs and consumers to use pulses more often; and to connect the different actors on a regular basis, including through the organisation of events and meetings.

The key players in the network are of course the farmers - we are currently working with 17 small and large horticultural and arable farmers who are experimenting with chickpea, lentil, yellow split pea, cowpea, sugar snap pea, yard-long bean, lima bean, faba bean, grasspea and edamame, among others. We are working with restaurants in Budapest and the countryside, the Association of Stylish Rural Restaurants (SVÉT), Farm2Fork, the Association of Conscious Consumers and the Municipality of Budapest, among others, to bring pulses to consumers and promote them.

We are always looking for contact with farmers and other value chain actors who would like to join the Living Lab - those interested can contact Juli Horváth at juli.horvath@agrikulti.hu.