Cropland is land used for growing crops like wheat, corn, vegetables, or fruit. When you see vast fields of golden wheat stretching to the horizon, or rows of cornstalks marching across the countryside, you're looking at cropland.

Farmers carefully prepare cropland by plowing the soil, adding fertilizer, and planting seeds in organized patterns. The same piece of cropland might grow different crops in different years: corn one season, soybeans the next. This practice, called crop rotation, helps keep the soil healthy and productive.

Not all land makes good cropland. The best cropland has fertile soil, adequate rainfall or irrigation, and flat or gently rolling terrain that makes planting and harvesting easier. The American Midwest contains some of the world's most productive cropland, with deep, rich soil that can grow enormous amounts of food. Some regions have rocky soil, steep hillsides, or harsh climates that make cropland difficult or impossible to maintain.

The amount and quality of a nation's cropland matter enormously because they determine how much food can be grown. Throughout history, civilizations have risen in areas with abundant cropland and struggled in places without it. Today, protecting existing cropland from development and erosion remains crucial for feeding the world's growing population.