Stanford University researchers have identified a variety of black peas from the northwest Himalayas that shows promise for climate resilience and nutrition. The study, published August 15 in Science Advances, is the first to examine the genetic diversity, ecological adaptability, and dietary value of these black peas.
In the Trans-Himalayan region, many farmers shifted in the 1980s from subsistence farming to commercial crops like green peas. However, some continued growing traditional foods such as barley and a local type of black pea without a scientific name. These black peas are valued for their nutritional content and role in traditional recipes.
“Black peas and barley are intimately tied to the cultural, religious, and social life in the Trans-Himalayan region. That they are also climate resilient is what makes them so exciting,” said Harman Jaggi, PhD ’24 and lead author of the study. “One of our findings was what the local farmers knew all along – black peas are more ecologically resilient and have higher protein levels, as compared to the introduced cash crop green peas.”
The research included whole genome sequencing data for black peas. The results showed that these peas form distinct genetic groups shaped by long-term cultural and environmental selection.
Researchers tested how well black peas adapted to local climate conditions compared to green peas. Black peas survived better across different elevations and watering treatments, supporting farmers’ claims that they require less water than green peas.
Nutritional analysis conducted with India’s Central Food Technological Research Institute found that black peas contain 21% protein per 100 grams—higher than green peas—and are rich in minerals such as magnesium, calcium, iron, fiber, and vitamins C, B1, and B3.
Jaggi’s interest began during visits to Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh while studying snow leopards. She observed locals using ground black pea powder mixed with tea for sustenance during treks above tree line. “This would sustain us for hours,” Jaggi said. She worked on this research with advisor Shripad Tuljapurkar from Stanford’s School of Humanities and Sciences (H&S), supported by Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability’s Sustainability Accelerator.
Local knowledge played a significant role in shaping field experiments set up on working farms across three villages during the 2023 growing season. Jaggi interviewed over 300 residents about agricultural practices related to black pea cultivation—known locally as sanmoh nako or dhoopchum—and found only about 10% still grew them due to limited market demand despite wider interest among farmers.
“Local farmers, who have generations of knowledge, gave crucial input on the experiment and co-authored the paper,” Jaggi said. “Growing practices that might work for green peas…would not have worked for black peas in the adverse climatic conditions…of the Trans-Himalayas.”
The authors suggest that Himalayan black peas could serve as a valuable genetic resource for improving other crops’ resistance to heat and drought stress as global temperatures rise.
They also recommend recognizing Trans-Himalayan agricultural systems within Nationally or Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (NIAHS or GIAHS). Such recognition by organizations like the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization could help protect regional biodiversity—including species like snow leopards—and promote markets for traditional crops such as black pea.
“This requires more research on understudied and lesser-known crops as well as integrating traditional agricultural practices,” Jaggi said. “I want these findings to go back to the farmers so they can diversify their crops and not incur huge losses from continuing to grow more water-intensive green peas.”
Study senior author Shripad Tuljapurkar stated: “This work is path-breaking in many respects…I think our results are promising for the study population and also suggest many generalizations…to other populations that are balanced between traditional and modern lifestyles.”
Other contributors include Katherine Solari (Stanford), researchers from Nature Conservation Foundation (India), University of California Berkeley, CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar Program, Snow Leopard Trust, CIFAR Fellow in Future Flourishing Program; funding came from Nature Conservation Foundation (India), Stanford Doerr School’s Sustainability Accelerator; King Center on Global Development.
