Question

Write the difference between a cash crop and a food crop?

Answer 1

Hint:
i) Food crops are any plants intentionally grown with the primary purpose of being eaten by humans or animals.
ii) A cash crop is an agricultural crop that is grown for sale to return a profit. It is usually purchased by parties to become independent of a farm. The term cash crop is applied exclusively to the agricultural production of plants.

Complete answer:
An agricultural crop that is grown for sale to return a profit is called a cash crop and an agricultural crop that is grown for human consumption is called a food crop.

Now let us look into the difference between a cash crop and a food crop:

Food Crops	Cash Crops
The major purpose of food crops is mainly to feed the farmers.	The major purpose of cash crops is to make a profit.
Grown for local markets	Grown for local and international markets.
Simple farming methods are used just to sustain the domestic needs	Complex farming methods are used to increase the output.
Does not involve many risks because the quantity of production is low.	It involves many risks like land degradation, quality and quantity of production and price variability.
Not much emphasis has been put on crop productivity.	A lot of emphases has been put on crop productivity.
It doesn’t need a lot of capital to start.	Need a lot of capital to start.

Note: The world’s most valuable cash crop is cannabis as well. Prices for cash crops are set in commodity markets with global scope. Cotton, jute, sugarcane, tea, and coffee are examples of cash crops. There are several (approx hundreds) different crops grown for food around the world. Wheat, rice, maize, millets, and pulses are examples of food crops.