Question

Define plantation agriculture with an example.

Hint:

When defining plantation agriculture, remember these four keywords: Large area, Single crop, Commercial purpose (for profit), and Capital intensive. Tea, coffee, and rubber are the perfect examples to cite.

Answer 1

Definition:
Plantation agriculture is a form of large-scale commercial farming characterized by the cultivation of a single cash crop on a vast estate or "plantation". It is a capital-intensive and labor-intensive system, primarily found in tropical and subtropical regions. The produce is mainly intended for export and industrial processing.
Key features of plantation agriculture include: \[\begin{array}{rl} \bullet & \text{Large farm size.} \\ \bullet & \text{Cultivation of a single crop (monoculture).} \\ \bullet & \text{High capital investment in machinery, fertilizers, and infrastructure.} \\ \bullet & \text{Requirement of a large number of laborers.} \\ \bullet & \text{Scientific methods of cultivation.} \\ \bullet & \text{A well-developed network of transport and communication connecting the plantation to factories and markets.} \\ \end{array}\] Example:
A classic example of plantation agriculture is the cultivation of Tea. In countries like India and Sri Lanka, tea is grown on large estates, often on hill slopes. It requires huge capital investment for setting up gardens and processing factories, and a large supply of skilled and unskilled labor for plucking the tea leaves. The final processed tea is then packaged and sold in national and international markets. Other examples include coffee, rubber, sugarcane, and bananas.