Crops oforanges, lavender, wheat, rice, lettuce, trees
Acrop is a plant or plant product harvested forhuman use. Crops are cultivated at scale to produce food, fiber, fuel, and other products. Crops have been central to human civilization since thefirst agricultural revolution, a key stage in the broaderhistory of agriculture, when early societies domesticated plants for food and trade.[1] Today, a small number ofstaple 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, includingagronomy,agricultural science,horticulture, andforestry.
According to the classification of crops by theFood and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the following table is a simplified list of crop types, common examples, and theirprimary 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 producingbiofuels or fornon-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
In agriculture, the termcrop is sometimes applied to plants that are not grown for directharvest but instead serve supporting roles. Acover crop is planted to protect and improve soil health, reduce erosion, and enhance fertility rather than for sale.[3] Anurse crop is anannual plant species sown alongside a slower‑establishingperennial plant to shelter seedlings, suppress weeds, and stabilize soil.[4] Atrap crop is planted to attract pests away from the main crop, reducing damage without relying solely on pesticides.[5] These uses show that the termcrop can refer not only to plants cultivated for production but also to those managed for ecological or protective functions.
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 - wintercover crop.[9] Though studies show that rotating crops produce betteryields, 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 theIndian subcontinent this is formalized into three distinct categories:kharif crops, grown during the monsoon;rabi crops, cultivated in winter; andzaid crops, planted in the short summer period between the other two.[11]
Permaculture is a design philosophy that seeks to createsustainable agriculture systems by mimicking natural ecosystems, and often incorporates practices such as polyculture,agroforestry, and crop rotation.[12]
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%) andrice (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, thevalue 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 averagedietary energy supply[a] exceeded 3,000kilocalories 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 withgenetically 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]
^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
