Soybeans – a new crop in organic farming

Cultivation of soybeans for human consumption seems to be a potential niche for organic farmers in Denmark.

A yield of approx. 20 dt/ha may make homegrown soybeans viable in an organic production for specialized purposes.

This is the preliminary conclusion of the innovation project "Danish organic production of soybeans for food and feed purposes", which is being carried out at DJF in collaboration with Naturli’ Foods A/S and Danish Agricultural Advisory Service.

Soybeans are often associated with the import of feed for livestock production, but there is an increasing interest in Europe in using soybeans for consumption, particularly on the organic market. This interest has also been recorded in Denmark, and the company Naturli’ Foods A/S would like to use Danish organically grown soybeans in their production of vegetable alternatives to dairy products.

This is the background for the project, which is supported by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries and continues until the end of 2010.