Cash Crops

Definition

Cash crops are agricultural crops grown specifically for sale to return a profit. These are not typically consumed by local populations but are instead sold domestically or exported internationally.

Related terms

Commodity Market: A marketplace where buyers and sellers trade raw products such as coffee, cocoa (cash crops).

Monoculture: The cultivation of a single crop in a given area. This is often seen with cash crop farming.

Colonialism: Many cash-crop economies were established during colonial times when colonizers would force colonies to produce specific cash crops for export back to the home country.