In light of the above, leguminous crops should be one of the main pillars of sustainable crop
production intensification. These plant species need to be considered as the primary strategic
objective of internationally innovative agricultural research and development strategies for the
coming decades. There are some core agroecological principles for sustainable production such
as minimum soil disturbance, maintenance of soil cover, diversified cropping systems, including
locally formulated approaches, which might strengthen sustainability and, at the same time,
intensify crop production. These principles and practices need to be integrated into cultivation
of leguminous species world wide – specially in rain-fed agriculture – in the coming decades.