Swiss farms make space for beans and lentils

Legumes such as lentils are not a popular crop in Switzerland, even though they are rich in protein and resistant to drought. Plant breeders and researchers want to change this and have started field trials. Lupins and peas can grow well under warmer climatic conditions but are still a rare sight in Swiss fields. Scientists from Agroscope, the Swiss centre for agricultural research, are working with plant breeders and farmers to evaluate the potential of certain legumes and to build local value chains as part of Europe-wide efforts. SWI swissinfo.ch visited a legume field in Zurich to find out the potential of this hardy crop.