Crops

Crops are plants, including cereals, vegetables, and fruits, cultivated on a commercial scale for their harvested produce or yield. They are the primary raw materials of the entire food system, and their quality at harvest sets the ceiling for everything downstream: variety selection, agronomy, pest management, and harvest timing determine composition, safety, and processing suitability. Post-harvest handling, from cooling and storage to transport, then preserves that quality. Sustainable intensification of crop production remains central to feeding growing populations within environmental limits.