In: Economics
Define a plantation economy. Explain to what extent do they exist in the Caribbean. Please include references.
As we know that, the plantation economy is an economy based on agricultural mass production, usually of a few commodity crops grown on large farms called plantations. Plantation economies rely on the export of cash crops as a source of income. Prominent crops included cotton, rubber, sugar cane, tobacco, figs, rice, kapok, sisal, and species in the genus Indigofera, used to produce indigo dye.
The plantation economies are usually based on primary activities. These primary activities include agriculture, fishing, mining, floriculture and other activities.Th plantation economies are playing an important role in the carribean.Thee decline of the colonial system undermined the social and economic bases for the plantation system. In the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Cuba, Algeria, Mali, and other countries, the plantations were nationalized and were replaced by state or cooperative systems. However, the plantation system persists in a number of developing countries.
The main crops which are grown in carribean are as Sugar was the main crop produced on plantations throughout the Caribbean in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Sugar was the most important crop throughout the Caribbean, although other crops such as coffee, indigo, and rice were also grown. The plantation crops meets the needs of the growing population. The increasing demand of food products is mainly fulfilled by the plantation economy.
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