Beans

Beans are high in protein, efficient to grow, and can even improve soil health.

Raising cattle, pigs, and chickens uses 77 percent of the world’s agricultural land, while only providing 37 percent of the global protein supply, according to Our World in Data. For beans, the ratio is almost the inverse: Just 23 percent of land is used to grow plants for human consumption, from which the world gets 63 percent of its protein. The difference in efficiency is clear: Plants and in particular pulses (the dry seed of a legume), like beans and lentils, give you more protein while using less land.

Bean plants can add nitrogen back into soil, they can help improve soil health, and this nitrogen acts like a natural fertilizer. When beans are grown in rotation with other crops such as wheat, or brassicas like cabbage or kale, they make such an impact on soil health that this can increase yields over time