Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LEGENDARY (KnowLEdGE creation and iNcreasing acreage of legumes in Diversified cropping systems by quAntification of theiR ecosYstem services.)
Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2025-06-30
Europe is moving towards climate-smart, biodiversity-friendly farming and a more resilient food system. Legumes can play a key role: they fix nitrogen, improve soils, support biodiversity and pollinators, and reduce fertiliser use and emissions. Yet they occupy only a small share of European farmland—around 2% for grain legumes and less than 6% when forage legumes are included—because their benefits are undervalued and farmers face agronomic and market barriers. LEGENDARY addresses this gap by generating measurable evidence of legume ecosystem services (ESs) and co-creating adoption pathways with farmers and value-chain actors.
LEGENDARY is a four-year Horizon Europe project testing annual and perennial legumes across Europe. Through multi-location (ML) and on-farm trials in contrasting climates, it collects comparable data on yield, resilience and ESs.
LEGENDARY aims to:
1) Quantify ESs. LEGENDARY develops methods to turn field data into indicators usable by farmers, advisers and policy makers. These will feed into an upgraded, user-friendly decision support system (DSS).
2) De-risk and diversify farming. Trials on intercropping, undersowing, rotations and perennial systems test how legumes enhance nitrogen cycles, soil functions, pest and disease control, erosion prevention, greenhouse-gas reduction and pollination. Mapping rhizobial biodiversity and nitrogen fixation identifies best options per region.
3) Strengthen value chains. By linking field data with life-cycle and cost–benefit analyses, the project benchmarks EU-grown legumes against imports and identifies where ESs create farm and market value.
4) Accelerate uptake. Using a multi-actor approach, including living labs and field demonstrations, the project builds farmer-centred learning so practices and tools can be applied rapidly and at scale.
LEGENDARY’s impact:
• Knowledge and tools (short-term):ML experiments generate harmonised datasets on legume performance and ESs, feeding into models and a DSS.
• Co-creation (medium-term): Engagement with farmers, advisers and industry converts results into practical guidance, supporting EU strategies such as the Green Deal, Farm to Fork and the Soil Deal.
• Adoption (long-term): The DSS and recommendations enable wider uptake of legume systems, reducing fertiliser use, emissions and risk while improving biodiversity and resilience.
Fully integrated role of social sciences and humanities:
They assess cultural and recreational values of legume landscapes, study drivers of adoption, design regional surveys and co-create policy recommendations. This ensures technical results are matched by social acceptance, economic feasibility and policy uptake.
Scale and significance:
LEGENDARY aims to unlock the full value of legumes for European agriculture. Expected impacts include better soils, lower emissions, improved water and air quality, stronger biodiversity, more stable farm incomes and less reliance on imported protein—contributing to EU climate and food-system goals.
LEGENDARY is a four-year Horizon Europe project testing annual and perennial legumes across Europe. Through multi-location (ML) and on-farm trials in contrasting climates, it collects comparable data on yield, resilience and ESs.
LEGENDARY aims to:
1) Quantify ESs. LEGENDARY develops methods to turn field data into indicators usable by farmers, advisers and policy makers. These will feed into an upgraded, user-friendly decision support system (DSS).
2) De-risk and diversify farming. Trials on intercropping, undersowing, rotations and perennial systems test how legumes enhance nitrogen cycles, soil functions, pest and disease control, erosion prevention, greenhouse-gas reduction and pollination. Mapping rhizobial biodiversity and nitrogen fixation identifies best options per region.
3) Strengthen value chains. By linking field data with life-cycle and cost–benefit analyses, the project benchmarks EU-grown legumes against imports and identifies where ESs create farm and market value.
4) Accelerate uptake. Using a multi-actor approach, including living labs and field demonstrations, the project builds farmer-centred learning so practices and tools can be applied rapidly and at scale.
LEGENDARY’s impact:
• Knowledge and tools (short-term):ML experiments generate harmonised datasets on legume performance and ESs, feeding into models and a DSS.
• Co-creation (medium-term): Engagement with farmers, advisers and industry converts results into practical guidance, supporting EU strategies such as the Green Deal, Farm to Fork and the Soil Deal.
• Adoption (long-term): The DSS and recommendations enable wider uptake of legume systems, reducing fertiliser use, emissions and risk while improving biodiversity and resilience.
Fully integrated role of social sciences and humanities:
They assess cultural and recreational values of legume landscapes, study drivers of adoption, design regional surveys and co-create policy recommendations. This ensures technical results are matched by social acceptance, economic feasibility and policy uptake.
Scale and significance:
LEGENDARY aims to unlock the full value of legumes for European agriculture. Expected impacts include better soils, lower emissions, improved water and air quality, stronger biodiversity, more stable farm incomes and less reliance on imported protein—contributing to EU climate and food-system goals.
In this first reporting period, LEGENDARY established the scientific foundation for a Europe-wide assessment of legume-based systems. ML trials and on-farm case studies were launched across diverse climates, covering annual and perennial legumes in pure stands and mixtures with cereals. Standard protocols were agreed, ensuring agronomic, ecological and environmental measurements are comparable across sites.
Ecosystem service (ES) protocols:
Harmonised methods were developed to measure nitrogen fixation, soil fertility, greenhouse gas emissions, pest and disease regulation, pollinator visitation and biodiversity. Field and lab analyses (soil, plant, microbiome) were aligned, creating a framework to link plot-level data with ESs.
Cropping seasons:
The first ML trials produced datasets on crop performance, soil parameters, nitrogen fixation, pest and disease monitoring and biodiversity. Data are validated and stored in the central database. The second season is ongoing, providing continuity and replication. Results confirm that the protocols function under diverse conditions and form the basis for ES quantification.
Database and digital backbone:
A cloud-based platform now collects and harmonises data, ensuring quality control and real-time sharing. It forms the basis for modelling, life-cycle analysis and integration into the decision-support system (DSS).
Biophysical–economic link:
Methods were designed to integrate agronomic and ecological data with cost–benefit and life-cycle assessments. Pilot workflows have been tested and datasets are being formatted for application, allowing indicators to be expressed in values relevant to farmers and policy makers.
Social sciences integration:
Survey approaches were introduced to capture farmers’ observations on crop performance and ESs, ensuring protocols remain aligned with practical realities.
Main scientific achievements so far:
• Launch of a Europe-wide network of ML and on-farm trials.
• Standardised protocols for ES measurement.
• First datasets from the initial cropping season.
• A central cloud-based database for harmonisation and modelling.
• Pilot workflows linking biophysical data with economic and environmental assessments.
Ecosystem service (ES) protocols:
Harmonised methods were developed to measure nitrogen fixation, soil fertility, greenhouse gas emissions, pest and disease regulation, pollinator visitation and biodiversity. Field and lab analyses (soil, plant, microbiome) were aligned, creating a framework to link plot-level data with ESs.
Cropping seasons:
The first ML trials produced datasets on crop performance, soil parameters, nitrogen fixation, pest and disease monitoring and biodiversity. Data are validated and stored in the central database. The second season is ongoing, providing continuity and replication. Results confirm that the protocols function under diverse conditions and form the basis for ES quantification.
Database and digital backbone:
A cloud-based platform now collects and harmonises data, ensuring quality control and real-time sharing. It forms the basis for modelling, life-cycle analysis and integration into the decision-support system (DSS).
Biophysical–economic link:
Methods were designed to integrate agronomic and ecological data with cost–benefit and life-cycle assessments. Pilot workflows have been tested and datasets are being formatted for application, allowing indicators to be expressed in values relevant to farmers and policy makers.
Social sciences integration:
Survey approaches were introduced to capture farmers’ observations on crop performance and ESs, ensuring protocols remain aligned with practical realities.
Main scientific achievements so far:
• Launch of a Europe-wide network of ML and on-farm trials.
• Standardised protocols for ES measurement.
• First datasets from the initial cropping season.
• A central cloud-based database for harmonisation and modelling.
• Pilot workflows linking biophysical data with economic and environmental assessments.
During the first reporting period, LEGENDARY has primarily established the experimental and analytical backbone needed to generate robust results in the coming seasons. The multi-location and on-farm trials, harmonised protocols and centralised database already provide a unique European network and infrastructure for assessing ecosystem services (ESs) of legumes.
Indicative results and potential impacts:
• Legume-based systems are expected to demonstrate reduced fertiliser needs, improved soil functions and enhanced biodiversity under diverse agro-climatic conditions.
• Harmonised indicators will allow translation of ESs into decision-ready evidence for farmers, advisers and policy makers.
• Integration with cost–benefit and life-cycle analysis frameworks will provide pathways to improve the competitiveness of European-grown legumes compared to imports.
• The project’s multi-actor approach is designed to accelerate uptake, aligning scientific outputs with practical farm management and policy development.
Key needs for further uptake and success:
• Continued multi-season experimentation to ensure robust and representative datasets.
• Demonstration activities at farm and regional level to validate practices under real-world conditions.
• Strengthened links with value-chain actors to address market and processing bottlenecks.
• Supportive regulatory and policy frameworks that reward ESs delivered by legumes and encourage diversification.
Indicative results and potential impacts:
• Legume-based systems are expected to demonstrate reduced fertiliser needs, improved soil functions and enhanced biodiversity under diverse agro-climatic conditions.
• Harmonised indicators will allow translation of ESs into decision-ready evidence for farmers, advisers and policy makers.
• Integration with cost–benefit and life-cycle analysis frameworks will provide pathways to improve the competitiveness of European-grown legumes compared to imports.
• The project’s multi-actor approach is designed to accelerate uptake, aligning scientific outputs with practical farm management and policy development.
Key needs for further uptake and success:
• Continued multi-season experimentation to ensure robust and representative datasets.
• Demonstration activities at farm and regional level to validate practices under real-world conditions.
• Strengthened links with value-chain actors to address market and processing bottlenecks.
• Supportive regulatory and policy frameworks that reward ESs delivered by legumes and encourage diversification.