Legumes are plants in the family Fabaceae, one of the largest and most economically important plant families in the world. The term covers a vast range of food crops including beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas, soybeans, and peanuts, as well as forage and cover crops.
As a food category, legumes are a dietary staple for billions of people. Their seeds — often dried and stored — are among the most shelf-stable and transportable protein sources available. Different legume crops dominate in different regions: lentils and chickpeas in South Asia and the Middle East, black beans and kidney beans in the Americas, soybeans in East Asia, and a wide variety across Africa.
Legumes also play a critical role in agriculture because of their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen into the soil through symbiotic bacteria in their root nodules. This makes them valuable in crop rotations, reducing the need for synthetic fertilisers.
How it's produced
Legume crops are grown on every continent in a wide range of climates. Most are annual plants sown from seed, grown through a single season, and harvested for their mature or immature seeds and pods. Farming practices range from small-scale subsistence agriculture to highly mechanised broadacre production.
In Australia, legume farming is significant — the country is a major global exporter of chickpeas, lentils, and lupins. These crops are typically grown in rotation with cereals in dryland farming systems across New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia. Harvesting is done by combine harvester, and the dried seeds are cleaned, graded, and stored for domestic use and export.
What it costs the planet (per kilo)
≈ Estimated from its category — typical for cereals & grains, not measured for this item yet. Sources & methods →
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