Above all the other sourcing methods, farming remains the ultimate and most essential way of doing it. There are many different ways in which farming is practiced nowadays, and the world has found new methods to improve farming.
Cultivated crops tend to take a lot of work and time to produce, and there are a lot of different measures taken to improve them. This includes machines, different farming methods, and more so that there is a guarantee of higher yield. There are a lot of people whose livelihood relies solely on farming. Farmers grow crops, sell them and then have to wait for another season for harvesting to grow crops again. It is a cycle that never ends.
The increase in population rate has certainly been challenging to provide food security to people. With the scarcity of food being one of the biggest issues in the world, it can certainly be hard to address this issue. This is why, as an answer to this specific problem, there have been a lot of different crop management strategies that come to light to solve it.
Crops are now produced in bulk so that they can be easily harvested. The two major crop types these days are cash crops and food crops.
Cash crops Vs. Food crops
The main difference between cash crops and food crops would be for the purpose they are produced. Cash crops are commercially produced to earn money, whereas food crops are farmed to provide food for the nation.
What are Cash crops?
Cash crops are also called profit crops, and this is because they are cultivated with the sole purpose of gaining profit. They are grown by farmers and sold locally and internationally. A lot of different companies purchase these crops by giving a specific amount of money to sellers. There are a lot of crops that fall under this category which are: cocoa, cotton, tea, coffee, sugarcane, and spices.
Cash crops are mostly grown in regions with tropical climates because they are the ideal temperature for growing them. However, one exception to this would be artic root which is grown in an arctic climate. There are a lot of regions that cultivate cash crops, and they are the United States, Vietnam, Italy, Australia, and Africa.
There are a lot of farmers who depend on cultivating cash crops as a livelihood. After all, cash crops give out higher yields and productivity rates; they also face low tariffs when it comes to global trades. Because of this, there is a huge issue when it comes to imports and exports of these crops as it affects the growth of the economy of some nations.
Without a doubt, with better strategies, cash crops will be able to offer more speedy growth, especially if utilized properly. It can be a good solution for the lack of some crops in the market and their availability throughout the year.
What are Food crops?
The major supply of food in the world comes from food crops. They are grown by farmers for the purpose of consumption and also to maintain food security. With the growing problem of food scarcity, food crops are certainly very important. Cereals, legumes, vegetables, herbs, fruits are just some of the common examples of food crops.
Food crops get cultivated all over the world in different climates. After all, the crops that are produced are only sold locally, so they are the main source of food in different countries aside from livestock. It is produced, however, in way lower quantity versus cash crops. There are no policies that are in line with foo crops, but there is there are a lot of factors that need to be considered for producing better yields in this area.
Both environmental and climate changes pose a huge threat when it comes to the production of food crops all over the globe. To fight these phenomena, it is important to figure out new innovations that will help to increase the quality of food crops.
Difference between Cash crops and Food crops
- Food crops are cultivated for the purpose of producing food for consumption, while cash crops get cultivated for the purpose of earning money or providing livelihood to farmers.
- Cash crops get sold in both international and domestic markets, while food crops are only sold in local markets.
- Cash crops require a higher cash capital to start cultivation, while food crops need comparatively low capital.
- Complex farming techniques are required from farmers to cultivate cash crops, while food crops only require simple farming knowledge.
- Cash crops involve a lot of risks, while there is little to no risk in farming food crops.
- The aim of cash crops is to have a high production rate and yield, which is why they have a lot of rules applied while there are no rules applied in food crops.
Conclusion
The main source of food in the world still comes from farming, and that is why it is very important to know where your food comes from. Both cash crops and food crops increase the amount of food in the world, although they come for different purposes and aims. While cash crops are mostly cultivated to earn money and food crops are cultivated for consumption, without a doubt, they are both important to the market.