14.04.2026

The purpose of this position paper is to provide an agenda for the development of European Union Horizon call topics relevant to legume breeding in Horizon Europe. It has four parts: 1. It all starts with a seed: what is plant breeding? 2. Further public investment in legume plant breeding. 3. Priority traits for publicly supported plant breeding. 4. Fostering efficient and focused ‘Horizon’ projects. Plant breeding is a powerful technology. It is a cornerstone of competitive sustainable farming systems. The seeds we use today incorporate all the improvement plant breeders have made since our crop species were first domesticated, cascaded through the generations. In addition to directly benefiting farmers, the genetic progress in new improved varieties gained by a breeder in Europe is usually freely available to all competing breeders for their own further breeding. This free access fosters innovation and gives most plant genetic improvement a strong public-good character. However, as is typical for public goods, there is under-investment in breeding for most crops due to biological constraints on the revenue from breeding. This is especially so for minor crops such as the grain legumes. Grain legumes in particular are easily reproduced on farms without paying royalties and their minor crop status means that the market for their seed for multiplication by agents is limited. The overall result is sub-optimal investment in legume breeding from both an agricultural and wider societal viewpoint. This market failure applies to all relevant agronomic and quality traits, including crop yield.