Crop

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For other uses, see Crop (disambiguation).

Crops
Crops of oranges, lavender, wheat, rice, lettuce, trees

A crop is a plant or plant product harvested for human use. Crops are cultivated at scale to produce food, fiber, fuel, and other products. Crops have been central to human civilization since the first agricultural revolution, a key stage in the broader history of agriculture, when early societies domesticated plants for food and trade.[1] Today, a small number of staple crops such as rice, wheat, maize, and sugarcane account for the majority of global production. Because of their economic importance, crops are studied within several scientific disciplines, including agronomy, agricultural science, horticulture, and forestry.

Types

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See also: Agriculture classification of crops

According to the classification of crops by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the following table is a simplified list of crop types, common examples, and their primary end use.[2]: 170ff  A crop may have several end uses, and according to the FAO: "End use refers to the purpose of the crop. Crops may be grown for use as food for human consumption or as feed for animals, for producing biofuels or for non-food products, such as tobacco and flowers. A single crop may have more than one use, such as maize being grown partly for human consumption, partly as a fodder crop and partly for producing biofuels."[2]: 140 

Category Examples Primary end use
Cereals wheat, maize, rice human food
Vegetables cabbage, cucumber, carrot, mushroom, melon human food
Fruit and nuts banana, orange, berries, apple, almond human food
Oilseed crops soybean oil, olive oil edible oils and industrial uses
Roots and tubers potatoes starchy food
Stimulants and spices coffee, tea, black pepper, chili pepper beverages and flavoring
Legumes bean, pea protein food
Sugar crops sugarcane, sugar beet sweeteners
Grasses and fodder crops alfalfa, sorghum, other energy crops livestock feed
Fiber crops cotton, hemp textiles and industrial fibers
Medicinal mint, coca pharmaceuticals and traditional medicine
Rubber rubber tree latex for industrial use
Flower crops tulip, rose ornamentals
Tobacco cultivated tobacco smoking and industrial use
Other crops miscanthus, switchgrass biofuel

In agriculture, the term crop is sometimes applied to plants that are not grown for direct harvest but instead serve supporting roles. A cover crop is planted to protect and improve soil health, reduce erosion, and enhance fertility rather than for sale.[3] A nurse crop is an annual plant species sown alongside a slower‑establishing perennial plant to shelter seedlings, suppress weeds, and stabilize soil.[4] A trap crop is planted to attract pests away from the main crop, reducing damage without relying solely on pesticides.[5] These uses show that the term crop can refer not only to plants cultivated for production but also to those managed for ecological or protective functions.

Methods of cropping

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Crop production may fall under these categories:

There are various methods of cropping that are used, and each method of cropping has advantages and disadvantages.[7]

Monoculture is typical where row crops are planted mechanically, and crops are usually rotated between seasons or from year to year.[8] An example is in the Southeast US, a 3-crop rotation over two years of: corn - winter wheat - soybeans - winter cover crop.[9] Though studies show that rotating crops produce better yields, monocropping is still common in South America (soybeans), Africa (maize), and South Asia (rice).[10]

Crops are typically cultivated in alignment with seasonal patterns, as different plants thrive under specific climate conditions. For example, on the Indian subcontinent this is formalized into three distinct categories: kharif crops, grown during the monsoon; rabi crops, cultivated in winter; and zaid crops, planted in the short summer period between the other two.[11]

Permaculture is a design philosophy that seeks to create sustainable agriculture systems by mimicking natural ecosystems, and often incorporates practices such as polyculture, agroforestry, and crop rotation.[12]

Global production

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World production of primary crops, main commodities, 2000–2023[13]: 14 

As of 2004, of the estimated 50,000 edible plant species, only about 300 had been domesticated as crop plants, and 90 percent of cropland was made up of just fifteen plant species, with rice, wheat, soybeans, cotton, and maize being the top five.[14] Just four crops accounted for half the global primary crop production in 2023: sugar cane (20%), maize (13%), wheat (8%) and rice (8%).[13]: 14 

Between 2000 and 2023, there was an increase in global production of primary crops by 61% to 9.9 billion tonnes (3.7 billion tonnes more than in 2000). Cereals represented the main group of crops produced in 2023 (32%), followed by sugar crops (23%), vegetables (12%), oil crops (12%), fruit (10%), and roots and tubers (9%). This production increase is mainly due to a combination of factors, including an increased use of irrigation, pesticides and fertilizers, more cultivated area, better farming practices, and use of high-yield crops.[13]: 13 

During the same period, the value of primary crops production increased at a slightly higher pace than the quantities produced (52%), from USD 2.0 trillion in 2000 to USD 3.0 trillion in 2023. Cereals accounted for the largest share of the total production value in 2023 (29%), vegetables (19%), fruit (17%), oil crops (12%), roots and tubers (9%), and sugar crops (3%).[13]: 13 

In 2023, the global average dietary energy supply[a] exceeded 3,000 kilocalories per person per day. Cereals provided 42% of the global dietary energy supply, followed by 13% of oil crops, and 8% of sugar crops. Human consumption accounted for 45% of cereals, 42% of oils, 88% of vegetables, and 83% of fruits. Animal feed accounted for 35% of cereals and 24% of legumes. Non-food uses of crops have been increasing, comprising 45% of oils in 2023. International trade also plays a major role, with 46% of oil crops, 34% of sugars, 20% of cereals, and 26% of legumes exported.[15]: 2 

As of 2019, 13% of global farmland was planted with genetically modified crops. Countries with the largest percentage of global GM crop production were the USA (38%), Brazil (28%), Argentina (13%), Canada (7%), and India (6%).[16]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The FAO defines dietary energy supply (DES) as: "The food available for human consumption, expressed in kilocalories per person per day, is the dietary energy supply. At the country level, it is calculated as the food remaining for human use after taking out all non-food utilization, including exports, industrial use, animal feed, seed, wastage and changes in stocks."[13]: 57 

References

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  1. ^ Lewin, Roger (18 February 2009) [1984]. "35: The origin of agriculture and the first villagers". Human Evolution: An Illustrated Introduction. Malden, Massachusetts: John Wiley & Sons (published 2009). p. 247. ISBN 978-1-4051-5614-1. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  2. ^ a b World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2030 (PDF). FAO. 22 October 2024.
  3. ^ "Cover Crops and Crop Insurance" (PDF). USDA. October 2018.
  4. ^ "Nurse Cropping". The Daily Garden. 3 September 2019.
  5. ^ Holden, Matthew H.; Ellner, Stephen P.; Lee, Doo-Hyung; Nyrop, Jan P.; Sanderson, John P. (1 June 2012). "Designing an effective trap cropping strategy: the effects of attraction, retention and plant spatial distribution". Journal of Applied Ecology. 49 (3): 715–722. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2664.2012.02137.x. ISSN 1365-2664.
  6. ^ Pothuvaal, Bhima (3 January 2025). Horticultural Crops: Disease Prevention Made Easy. Educohack Press. ISBN 978-93-6152-654-1.
  7. ^ Arora, Himanshu (6 October 2017). "Types of Cropping Systems: Mono cropping; Crop Rotation; Sequential Cropping; Inter Cropping; Relay Cropping". civilsdaily.com.
  8. ^ "Crop rotation examples". kuhn-usa.com.
  9. ^ Bergtold, Jason; Sailus, Marty, eds. (2020). "Conservation Tillage Systems in the Southeast". Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education. p. Table 7.2, p.90. ISBN 978-1-888626-18-6.
  10. ^
  11. ^ "Seasonal Crops of India: Exploring Kharif, Rabi, and Zaid Cultivation". Network Bharat. 10 July 2024.
  12. ^ Laing, Charl (10 October 2024). "Understanding Permaculture: Principles, Practices, and Benefits". WeGrow Foundation. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  13. ^ a b c d e World Food and Agriculture – Statistical Yearbook 2025. Food and Agriculture Organization. 2025. doi:10.4060/cd4313en. ISBN 978-92-5-140174-3.
  14. ^ Goodman, RobertM (27 February 2004). Encyclopedia of Plant and Crop Science (Print). Routledge. p. Preface xxix. ISBN 978-0-8247-0943-3.
  15. ^ FAO (2025). "Food balance sheets 2010–2023". FAOSTAT Analytical Brief Series, No. 112. Rome. FAO. doi:10.4060/cd7162en.
  16. ^ Tome, Kristine Grace N. (4 December 2024). "What is the Impact of GM Crops on the Environment?". International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA). Retrieved 15 November 2025.

Sources

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 This article incorporates text from a free content work. Licensed under CC BY-SA IGO 3.0 (license statement/permission). Text taken from World Food and Agriculture – Statistical Yearbook 2023​, FAO, FAO.

Further reading

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