Pulse of Life: The Rich Biodiversity of Edible Legumes is a collaborative, illustrated Navdanya volume devoted to pulses and other edible legumes. It is credited to Vandana Shiva with Maya Goburdhun, Reetha Balsavar, Neha Raj Singh and Kartikey Shiva, and it includes guest contributions from Miguel Altieri, Walter A. Pengue and Ashok Panigrahi. Its organizing concern is the diversity of edible legumes—the many kinds of beans, peas, lentils and related crops—and the agricultural and economic conditions that sustain or erode that diversity.
The book is framed as an offering to the International Year of Pulses and as a commemoration of Navdanya’s anniversary. It belongs to Navdanya’s broader work on seed and food sovereignty, presenting pulses not as a narrow commodity but as a varied inheritance of farming cultures. It addresses the conservation and use of legume diversity and the economic pressures bearing on pulse cultivation, rather than narrating the life of any of its authors. The volume combines text with colour illustrations and includes a bibliography.
The core of Pulse of Life delves into the ecological and nutritional significance of legumes, highlighting their role in sustainable agriculture. It explores how pulses contribute to soil health through nitrogen fixation, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers and thereby mitigating environmental impact. The book emphasizes the nutritional value of legumes as a vital source of protein, fiber, and micronutrients, particularly in diets where animal protein may be scarce or unsustainable. It argues for the re-integration of diverse pulse varieties into farming systems and diets, moving away from monoculture and towards agroecological practices that support biodiversity.
Furthermore, Pulse of Life critically examines the economic forces that threaten legume diversity, such as industrial agriculture’s focus on a few high-yielding varieties, the commodification of seeds, and global trade policies. It advocates for seed saving, farmer-led breeding, and local food systems as mechanisms to resist these pressures and ensure food security and sovereignty. The book presents case studies and examples of traditional and innovative approaches to pulse cultivation that prioritize ecological resilience and community well-being over corporate profit. It ultimately champions a paradigm shift towards valuing legumes not just as food, but as foundational elements of ecological balance and cultural heritage.
