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Seed legumes are essential crops for contributing to sustainable agriculture, thanks in particular to their natural ability to fix nitrogen from the air, and for boosting protein autonomy in France and Europe, thanks to their protein-rich seeds. Yet they account for just 2% of arable crop area in European agriculture, compared with around 15% on other continents. To increase their acreage and overcome the socio-technical lock-in around these species, coordinated action and innovation is needed across the entire chain, from upstream to downstream production.

Insérez-les is one of the winning projects of the 2023 call for projects "Developing plant proteins and diversifying protein sources", part of the national "Sustainable and healthy food" strategy of the 4th Avenir Investment Program. Its aim is to help encourage the adoption of pulses by proposing a collective action dynamic from a farmer-centered perspective.

This large-scale project aims to facilitate innovation at all levels - agronomic, varietal, technological, economic and societal - with the farmer as the main beneficiary. Its aim is to develop a competitive supply of legume proteins to improve the food autonomy of livestock farms and expand the local supply for human consumption. It has two main ambitions: (i) to increase the knowledge shared between all stakeholders, and (ii) to generate greater added value for seed legume producers.

• Create economic value for farmers through short circuits for the valorization of plant proteins for human consumption;
• Promote the inclusion of legumes in cropping systems by providing farmers with the information they need (outlets, interest in economic terms and in terms of ecosystem services, list of crops suited to their conditions);
• Define the conditions required for successful legume crops today and in the near future in a context of climate change, and produce innovations to enhance the robustness of legumes;
• Improve yield stability on the farm by better characterizing varietal innovations and guiding farmers in their choice and deployment strategies;
• Analyze the socio-economic conditions for sharing knowledge and value within value chains, and create added value through payments for environmental services.