Why they are top of the crops The rise of the leguminati and a life full of beans

Their goal is to transform the diets of people across the world, to start a revolution in food production and consumption.

- Damien Gayle

They call themselves the leguminati.

"When you rediscover beans, it's something we've all taken for granted, and then you realise - oh my god - these are really great, it's like a secret," said Steve Sando, founder of California-based bean company, Rancho Gordo, who is, for many, the godfather of this movement.

Beans are enjoying a culinary renaissance - and, say their advocates, it is not a moment too soon. Long thought of as bland, fiddly to cook, or poverty food, in recent years there has been growing recognition that beans can not only be delicious, but that eating more could help solve a host of planetary and health problems.

Food production is a major driver of climate breakdown, amounting to about a quarter of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. Three-fifths of that comes from meat production, leading many to argue for a shift towards a plant-based diet.

But that does not take plants off the hook entirely. The so-called green revolution of the 20th century led to an exponential increase in the output of agriculture, but it was via widespread use of nitrogen-based fertilisers, a byproduct of the petrochemical industry that emits nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas with heating effect 300 times that of carbon dioxide.

Added to that, poorly applied fertiliser runs off into rivers and waterways leading to pollution that kills fish and other wildlife.