What is the significance of a cash crop

Matched Categories Crop. How to pronounce cash crop? Alex US English. David US English. Mark US English. Daniel British. Libby British. Mia British. Karen Australian. Hayley Australian. Natasha Australian. Veena Indian. Priya Indian. Neerja Indian. Zira US English. Oliver British. Wendy British. Fred US English. Tessa South African. However, subsistence farming still exists in low-income countries.

Subsistence farming refers to farmers growing crops to feed themselves. The international commodity markets set the prices for most cash crops. There is some price variation due to local demand, supply, and transportation costs. Farmers worldwide are at the mercy of global commodity prices.

The farmers thrive when demand is high, and supply is comparatively low. However, they suffer when there is a glut and prices plummet. Farmers in developing nations say it is virtually impossible to compete against the advanced economies because governments subsidize their cash crops. Many economists say these subsidies have contributed to the deterioration of agriculture in countries like Mexico. Millions of Mexican farmers abandoned the land and moved to urban areas.

In fact, many of them crossed the border into the United States looking for work. Jayati Ghosh wrote in the Guardian that agricultural subsidies affect the livelihoods and food security of millions of people.

In the tropics, farmers grow jute, cotton, oranges, sugar cane, cocoa, coffee, and palms mainly oil palm. They also grow mangoes, bananas, papaya, and other tropical fruit. This region may include some of the plants grown in tropical areas, plus grain crops.

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