Salomé Kahindo (IESEG)
Despite their agronomic and environmental benefits, the cultivation of legumes remains limited in European agriculture due to persistently low market prices and structural disincentives. This study introduces a method to reconcile quantity- and value-based production frontiers, offering a novel perspective on this misalignment. We define alignment as the condition under which revenue-maximizing behavior leads to the same level of physical output—measured here as legume protein production— as that achieved under a quantity-maximizing benchmark. Using non-parametric Free Disposal Hull (FDH) models, we show that under current market prices, this alignment is not achieved, revealing a disconnect between price incentives and the protein production potential of legumes. To address this, we simulate output-specific legume price adjustments to identify the conditions required to restore alignment. The method is applied to 699 French cropping systems from the DEPHY network. Results show that individualized legume price increases—averaging 15%—are sufficient to align revenue-maximizing behavior with the physical production frontier, enabling nearly all systems to reach their legume protein production potential while still maximizing revenue