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I came across the phrase "permanent crop" in The World Factbook, in a description of land use. What does it mean?

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General reference: it's in wikipedia. – Peter Shor Oct 7 '12 at 18:57

closed as general reference by JLG, coleopterist, Peter Shor , Cameron, Tom Au Oct 7 '12 at 23:43

This question is too basic; it can be definitively and permanently answered by a single link to a standard internet reference source designed specifically to find that type of information. See the FAQ for guidance on how to improve it.

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It means that a particular plant (crop) is always grown there. This is in contrast to growing different crops there each season and year to year.

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No, it doesn't quite. Corn, for example, can never be a permanent crop, even if a farm grows it every year. Olives are, because they grow on trees you can't replant every year. – Peter Shor Oct 7 '12 at 18:56
Permanent crops are crops not grown in rotation. They occupy the soil and yield harvests for several consecutive years. Permanent crops mainly consist of fruit and berry trees, bushes, vines and olive trees. – Site Designs Oct 7 '12 at 22:48
Permanent crops aren't necessarily perennial, note the "mainly" qualifier in wikipedia definition. Permanent crops can actually be used in different ways, sometimes standing in for perennial when context permits. The OECD definition is more vague. It is meant to establish that there's something permanent about the crops - medium term at least. – Chris Oct 7 '12 at 23:28

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