A cash crop is a crop grown to be sold for money rather than to feed the farmer’s own household. Classic examples include coffee, cocoa, cotton, tobacco, and sugar cane, often grown in developing countries for export markets. Cash cropping can raise incomes and fund investment, but it also exposes farmers to volatile world prices and can displace subsistence food production, affecting local food security and nutrition. The balance between cash and food crops is a central question in agricultural development policy. Fair trade and certification schemes aim to make cash cropping more equitable and sustainable for smallholders.