100% organic and biodynamic seed company, from R&D (plant breeding), production, processing, storage, packaging, distribution. Semillas Vivas is the sister company in Spain. 35 contracted organic or Demeter farmers multiplying seeds. Living Seeds operates an own farm in Idanha a Nova with several trial fields and production areas. Around 30 people are employed.
Global Bean projects we are involved in:
plant breeding of legumes experiences, market and production skills, partnerships for processing or research
old varieties, resilience profiles
Legumes are grown and eaten in nearly every country and culture around the world. Most regions and cultures have developed unique traditional methods for cooking and preparing dishes with pulses. The following provides a select insight into some of these enduring traditional practices, which continue to be employed today and have also been adopted in other parts of the world.
Cowpeas were domesticated in Africa. They spread into Asia and Europe and were grown very long before Phaseolus beans came from America and replaced most European cultivation of Vigna beans. Cowpeas are largely cultivated in semiarid regions of Africa and Asia and are the main pulse species in several Western African countries which have the highest per capita pulse consumption in the world.
Peas are one of the oldest cultivated crops. The wild plant is native to the Near Eastern centre of crop diversity. Domestication of wild pea plants probably began with the start of agriculture in the fertile crescent about 11,000 years ago, where they were likely companion plants to early-domesticated forms of wheat and barley
The wild parents of the common bean (P. vulgaris) grow in an area that stretches from northern Mexico to Argentina, in two broad regions: Mesoamerica in the north and the Andes in the south. Wild beans in the two regions are genetically distinct.
Pulses like beans, peas, lentils and chickpeas are a simply delicious, naturally nutritious food. Because of this, most national and international dietary guidelines recommend eating more pulses. The suggested amount varies between at least one portion of 25 g dry/80 g cooked pulses per day - like in Portugal - up to 3 cups (720 mL) in the US per week.
Nicolas Carton is an agronomist and pulse ambassador. Based on his experience as an academic researcher and as a crop advisor he started the initiative Lumineuses to search for the locally best varieties of legumes and to process them through delicious recipes.
Jean Paul has created his cleaning and landscaping company some years ago and is enthusiastic home gardener who appreciates to grow and cook legumes such as chickpea, bean and lentils.
The community garden project at the Ecological Education Center as part of Global Bean Project. We are a volunteer group within the community garden project at the Ecological Education Center (ÖBZ) in Munich and collect varieties of beans that are no longer in commercial use. We are enthusiastic about the diversity and the aesthetics of beans, of course also about the culinary enjoyment and their ecological value.
Fermentation is one of the oldest and most straightforward methods of food preparation. Enzymes produced by microorganisms like bacteria, yeasts, and mold, have long been used by humans to produce food that is both delicious and nutritious. Commonly eaten foods produced through fermentation include bread, dairy products, sauerkraut, and kimchi. In this online event, we
Curious about the diversity of legumes and how they are produced? Watch the recording of our “Live in the show gardens” meeting and discover legume gardens throughout Europe and beyond! The Global Bean Show Gardens are a diverse network of demonstration gardens, production farms, breeding stations, and experimental farms. This interactive online event took us
Watch the recording of the baking class here: Find here the recipes – Swiss Dreikönigskuchen (Bean-Based Version) – Galette Des Rois With Sweet Azuki Bean Puree Filling Summary We started 2023 with GOOD LUCK! Older even than the Princess on the Pea is the Bean King across Europe. This ancient custom ends the dark cold
In Europe, production and consumption of dry legume seeds as food is still strikingly low, in comparison to other continents and given their numerous benefits. However, there are many examples of successful cultivation and consumption of pulses, driven by cooperation between stakeholders.
Yellow, spotted, eaten leaves, discoloured seeds and pods. Weevils and other insects, mosaic viruses, mould and drought. These, among many others are problems you might encounter in your legume garden.
During its two fruitful first years, The Global Bean Project has been funded by the German environment ministry (BMUV) and we were able to carry out a variety of activities with a central coordination amongst a growing global network of experts and enthusiasts. The network now counts above 100 partners from 37 countries. From now
Peter wakes up one morning and decides to skip school to work in his garden. He loves being in the garden, talking to plants and learning from them. He plants pea seeds and communicates with them, learning about their ability to loosen soil and release nutrients. The garden makes Peter feel peaceful and happy, unlike the noisy streets.
As we watch the war in Ukraine in disbelief, the next global catastrophe is looming. Exploding energy and commodity prices meet reduced production of wheat, corn and oil crops; and on top of that agricultural functionaries are demanding a rollback of environmental measures.
The community garden project at the Ecological Education Center as part of Global Bean Project. We are a volunteer group within the community garden project at the Ecological Education Center (ÖBZ) in Munich and collect varieties of beans that are no longer in commercial use. We are enthusiastic about the diversity and the aesthetics of beans, of course also about the culinary enjoyment and their ecological value.
The community garden project at the Ecological Education Center as part of Global Bean Project. We are a volunteer group within the community garden project at the Ecological Education Center (ÖBZ) in Munich and collect varieties of beans that are no longer in commercial use. We are enthusiastic about the diversity and the aesthetics of beans, of course also about the culinary enjoyment and their ecological value.
The community garden project at the Ecological Education Center as part of Global Bean Project. We are a volunteer group within the community garden project at the Ecological Education Center (ÖBZ) in Munich and collect varieties of beans that are no longer in commercial use. We are enthusiastic about the diversity and the aesthetics of beans, of course also about the culinary enjoyment and their ecological value.
The community garden project at the Ecological Education Center as part of Global Bean Project. We are a volunteer group within the community garden project at the Ecological Education Center (ÖBZ) in Munich and collect varieties of beans that are no longer in commercial use. We are enthusiastic about the diversity and the aesthetics of beans, of course also about the culinary enjoyment and their ecological value.
The community garden project at the Ecological Education Center as part of Global Bean Project. We are a volunteer group within the community garden project at the Ecological Education Center (ÖBZ) in Munich and collect varieties of beans that are no longer in commercial use. We are enthusiastic about the diversity and the aesthetics of beans, of course also about the culinary enjoyment and their ecological value.
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