Agriculture 1

AGRICULTURE
IN THE
CARIBBEAN
CSEC GEOGRAPHY
MR. RATTIGAN
FEBRUARY 2021
OBJECTIVES At the end of this lesson students should
be able to:
❑ Understand the characteristics of

small-scale farming and commercial
plantations.
❑ Understand the importance of

agriculture.
❑ Understand the factors influencing the

development of Agriculture in the
Caribbean
SCALES OF AGRICULTURE
In the Caribbean Region, a dual agriculture economy has
developed.
1. Small-Scale Family-owned farms (Peasant): A variety of crops are grown

livestock is reared. The produce is used by the household as well as being sold locally
at markets and to supermarkets. This is a traditional type of agriculture.
2. Commercial Plantations: During the colonial era, these plantations were

developed alongside the smaller traditional farms. The plantations concentrated on
growing on type of crop (monoculture) such as sugar cane, making use of a large
labour force to maximise production and profit. Many commercial plantations still
exist in the modern world, concentrating on producing food products for export.
AGRICULTURE: THE IMPORTANCE TO
THE REGION
❑ Agriculture contributes to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
and to export earnings.
❑ Thousands of individuals are employed in agriculture (38% of the
workforce is employed in agriculture in Haiti).
❑ Agriculture provides a great deal of food supply for locals,
reducing the need to rely upon expensive food imports.
❑ Agriculture provides raw materials for the secondary industries
such as food processing and the manufacturing of rum.
❑ Incomes generated by farming supports local services such as
shops and cafes.
AGRICULTURE: TYPES
❑ Arable: Where land is ploughed and used for growing crops.
❑ Pastoral Agriculture: Where livestock are grazed on grassland.
❑ Subsistence Agriculture: Growing crops and raising livestock to feed the
family only.
❑ Commercial Agriculture: Growing crops and raising livestock to sell and
make money.
❑ Intensive Agriculture: Producing a high yield per hectare, often involving the
use of chemicals and expensive machinery or labour.
❑ Extensive Agriculture: Producing a low yield per hectare, often on low quality
land or with little investment.
FACTORS
INFLUENCING THE
DEVELOPMENT OF
THE AGRICULTURAL
SECTOR IN THE
REGION
PYHSICAL, SOCIO-ECONOMIC
AND HISTORICAL
PHYSICAL FACTORS
CLIMATE
❑Temperature and rainfall influence the various types

of crops that can be grown. For example, hot, wet
(humid), tropical areas favor the cultivation of rice,
while cooler, drier climate is appropriate for wheat
cultivation, as in the Canadian Prairies. The length of
the growing season also influences the crops grown.
RELIEF
❑Lowlands, undulating gentle-sloping lands such as
flood plains, are good for crop cultivation. Steep
slopes hinder machinery, have thinner soils and are
infertile. Lower, more gentle slopes are less prone to
soil erosion. Crops such as tea and coffee develop on
hillsides which are well drained. Southfacing slopes
receive more sunlight.
SOIL
❑Fertility is important as poor soil means that there

will be lower outputs or larger inputs of fertilizers
and other crop enhancing products. Floodplains are
good for the cultivation of crops because of very
fertile alluvial soils. Good drainage reduces the
dangers of waterlogging and root damage of crops.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
LABOUR
❑In less developed countries such as India and Java,

farmers use abundant, cheap labour instead of
machines. In Japan and the United Kingdom, where
labour is expensive, machines are used in lieu of
manual labour. People working on farms may be
unskilled labourers or skilled and able to use
machinery like tractors, harvesters and milking
machines.
FINANCE (CAPITAL)
❑Capital is one of the major factors affecting
agriculture as, quite often, the farmer suffers from a
lack of funds. Generally, the money the farmer must
invest in the farm can be used to increase the
number of inputs into the farm; for instance,
machinery, fences, seeds, fertilser and renewing
buildings. If a farmer can afford to invest capital,
yields will rise and can create greater profits which
can be used for more investment.
TECHNOLOGY
❑ Crop yields can be increased by machines and novel

irrigation methods. In addition, greenhouses,
hydroponics technology along with computer-controlled
technology provide ideal conditions for high quality
crops. The computer controls the temperature, moisture
level and amount of feed for the plants.
❑ In addition, genetic engineering has allowed new plants

to be bred that resist drought and diseases and give
higher yields.
MARKET
❑Farmers grow crops which are in demand and will
change to meet new demands. As such, the
cultivation of crops vary throughout the year and
farmers change their production to suit them and
their niche markets.
GOVERNMENT
❑ Governments influence the crops farmers grow via the

enforcement of regulations, subsidies and quotas, such as
that which is common in the European Union, as is the
case with the Common Agriculture Programme.
Governments also offer advice, training and financing to
farmers and in new farming areas they may build the
infrastructure of roads and drainage. In some countries
like Kenya and Malaysia, the government is trying to help
nomadic farmers to settle in one place. Some
governments plan and fund land reclamation and
improvement schemes.
HISTORICAL FACTORS
COLONIALISM
❑This has led to the development of specific farming

practices in the Caribbean. Central among them is
the practice of monoculture (the planting of one cash
crop) which has continued down to this very day.
CLASS END
NEXT CLASS
FACE TO FACE
INTERACTION (MAPWORK)

Agriculture 1

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AGRICULTURE

❑ Understand the characteristics of

❑ Understand the importance of

❑ Understand the factors influencing the

1. Small-Scale Family-owned farms (Peasant): A variety of crops are grown

2. Commercial Plantations: During the colonial era, these plantations were

❑Temperature and rainfall influence the various types

❑Fertility is important as poor soil means that there

❑In less developed countries such as India and Java,

❑ Crop yields can be increased by machines and novel

❑ In addition, genetic engineering has allowed new plants

❑ Governments influence the crops farmers grow via the

❑This has led to the development of specific farming

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