1. PLANTATION AGRICULTURE
General Study

2. PLANTATION AGRICULTURE
What is Plantation Agriculture?
Plantation agriculture is a commercial tropical agriculture system which is essentially export-oriented.
Where does Plantation Agriculture takes place?
Mostly in tropical and sub-tropical regions like Central and South America, Southern and South-eastern Asia
Why do people practice Plantation Agriculture?
For better variety of crops (eg. food, fruits)
Income for the farmers, as the crops would be exported
To meet increasing demand of food from the increasing population

3. CHARACTERISTICS A single crop is grown over a large area
Well-developed network of transportation and communication, connecting plantation areas, processing industries and markets together
Production is mainly for the market and not for the farmers’ self-consumption
Involves modern inputs like chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides
Modern machinery is needed
Labour-intensive

4. Inputs Large land area Large number of workers (labour-intensive)
Huge sum of capital
Infrastructures
Chemical fertilisers, pesticides and insecticides
Modern Machinery

5. Process Select the land (warm temp. and adequate rainfall)
Plough the soil
Seedlings are
planted
Some are harvested
after 3-5 years
8-10 years of
planting, the
plantation will
be harvested
Application of
fertilisers,
pesticides and
insecticides

6. Outputs Wider variety of crops Huge profits
Crops exported to other countries

7. ADVANTAGES More job opportunities for the people
Source of income for the country
Wider variety of food
Effective use of vast land

8. DISADVANTAGES
Local people may be exploited as cheap labour, leading to slavery
Growth of a single crop makes plantations very prone to diseases, poor weather and the fluctuation in world market prices
Fertile soil for crops exported, rather than for self-consumption

9. PROBLEMS FACED
Technology advances, reducing the need of plantation agriculture
HYV (High-yield varieties) Short growth periods
Shortage of workers
Deforestation
Destroy natural habitats

10. RESOURCES IMAGES: http://images.google.com.sg/imghp?hl=en CONTEXT: