2. Resources for the bioeconomy

Protein-containing plants

Proteins are amino acid molecules linked together via peptide bonds. Plants need nitrogen to build these.

Protein plants are mainly cultivated for their fruits or seeds with a high protein content and are used as food or animal feed. The most important crops are from the legume family, i.e. the papilionaceous plants. These include peas, beans, lentils and soybeans, which are usually referred to as pulses by the name of their superordinate family.

In 2021, pulses were grown on more than 95 million hectares. Beans (38%), chickpeas (16%) and black-eyed peas (16%), which are mainly grown in warmer regions in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia, accounted for the largest share. Almost 89 million tons of pulses were harvested from these areas worldwide in 2021. Beans (31%), chickpeas (18%), peas (14%) and black-eyed peas (10%) accounted for the largest shares of this harvest volume.