Building consensus on demand-led legume breeding in Europe: Evidence from a Delphi expert study

Legume breeding is of great importance due to the multiple benefits of legume cultivation and use in European food systems. However, the small legume acreage means that breeding programmes are often not economically viable. Improvements to the system could be initiated by the governance structure of demand-led breeding. Demand-led breeding is an approach in which the needs of stakeholders downstream of agriculture are explicitly considered to develop more appropriate varieties. To evaluate this approach, we conducted a Delphi study with 21 legume breeding experts from across Europe. Qualitative questions enabled indirect discussion, and the experts formed a group opinion through repeated quantitative ratings of statements on demand-led breeding. The data was analysed using qualitative content analysis and inferential statistics with a non-parametric rank variance analysis. Expert consensus emerged that breeding goals should be oriented towards the end use of the products, that demand-led breeding is more likely to become established in Europe in the medium term, and that better alignment with market demand can increase value creation in breeding. The complexity of breeding programmes would increase and the added value would only become apparent retrospectively after a time lag. We conclude with the implications that demand-led breeding may be implemented within the framework of vertical strategic alliances and development partnerships, but that this business model needs further research. We also recommend that research efforts should focus on establishing an information infrastructure within the legume sector and strengthening the links between breeding and the processing industry.