Pollination service plays a pivotal role in maintaining the sustainability of our food systems. Legume-intensive agroecological practices are considered a promising solution to support pollinator abundance by providing suitable habitats and foraging resources. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a widely accepted methodology for addressing the environmental burdens of a productive system. However, it still lacks standardized methodologies for assessing certain ecosystem services (ES), such as pollination support. Pollinator abundance relies on the availability of habitats and feeding grounds within and beyond the field, which makes mechanistic models for the
estimation of pollinator abundance spatially explicit. The only LCA existing methods that attempt to overcome these barriers are based on expert knowledge, which makes the results less accurate, especially at the crop species level. Based on a review of ES assessment methods for legume-based cropping system, we identified the nectariferous value as a promising proxy for estimating pollinator abundance. The conceptual basis for this method is that pollinators are primarily attracted by olfactory and visual stimuli, with nectar producing flowers being among the most important sources of stimuli perceived by these insects. A preliminary screening of nectar
production among agricultural crops showed that legumes are the most represented, accounting for more than 50% of the crops evaluated in studies on nectar production and composition. This preliminary screening highlights both the relevance of legumes for pollination support, and the urge to develop new crop-specific methods for LCA.