AGEX 1003/AGRI 0202 The Plantation Society PDF

AGEX 1003: Development of Caribbean Agriculture / AGRI 0202: Sociology of Agriculture The Plantation Society  ▪ Explain the evolution of agriculture starting with the Plantation System and continuing into the Peasantry System and finally into small-sc...

AGEX 1003: Development of Caribbean Agriculture / AGRI 0202: Sociology of Agriculture The Plantation Society  ▪ Explain the evolution of agriculture starting with the Plantation System and continuing into the Peasantry System and finally into small-scale farming. ▪ Describe the characteristics of the Plantation System as an economic unit and as a social unit ▪ Describe the movement of labour-- across the West Indies Overview after emancipation and its impact on the current demographic characteristic of the region ▪ Explain the various types of cropping systems introduced for survival of the farming community ▪ Describe the characteristics of small-scale farming and the development of large commercial farm.  Caribs and Arawaks ▪ Culture ▪ Language ▪ Clothing's Caribbean’s ▪ Social Systems First Peoples ▪ Food production / Agricultural systems  ▪16th Century ▪Caribs / Arawaks killed and expelled from the islands by Europeans Caribbean’s oOverworked First Peoples oDiseases cont’d oSexual slavery oMurder ▪Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade (1600s - 1807) Plantation System Several Images / thoughts / feelings can be brought to mind The Evolution ▪ Plantation System of Caribbean ▪ Peasantry System ▪ Small Scale Farming Agriculture  ▪The plantation was the dominant economic, social and political institution in the past Plantation ▪It was an instrument of political colonization System ▪It brough people of different races from varying parts of the world, which determined the population and social structures today Plantation System cont’d ▪The plantation has fashioned the whole environment which the people of these countries have inherited  ▪The plantation had many dimensions ▪It is a system of agricultural production and a social Plantation institution as well System and ▪The economic aspect of the plantation is an Plantation agricultural producing unit Economy oThe plantation produced agricultural commodities (1 – 2 crops) (except livestock) for sale and employed a relatively large number of unskilled workers Plantation System and ▪Crop production is undertaken solely for sale Plantation ▪Plantations operated in underdeveloped countries; Economy the crop was then exported (export-oriented crop) cont’d  1. What are some traditional export crops from the Caribbean? Activity 2. What are some current export crops from the Caribbean? Caribbean food and export crops Source: Wuddivira et al (2018) Challenges of Food and Nutrition Security in the Caribbean  ▪A plantation system refers to the totality of institution arrangements surrounding the production and marketing of plantation crops Plantation ▪The colonization activities took three (3) forms: System 1. Settlement 2. Conquest 3. Exploitation  ▪Settlement: People migrated (individually, families, groups) from the metropole and settled in the colony. ▪Conquest: Metropolitan interest was simply in Plantation establishing sufficient administrative and military System organization to facilitate the transfer of wealth from cont’d the colony to the metropole. ▪Exploitation: Metropolitan interests was in production for trade. The plantation is a type of “Settlement Institution”  ▪From conception, the plantation was an authority with control over all aspects of the lives of people Plantation within its territory System ▪It provided locus and rules of accommodation cont’d between different groups (ethnic and cultural groups)  ▪The external dimension was derived from two Plantation (2) characteristics of System plantation production: cont’d 1. Export Orientation 2. Foreign Ownership  ▪“Plantation Economy” is a term applied to those countries of the world where the internal and Plantation external dimensions of the plantation system Economy dominate the countries’ economic, social and political structure and their relations with the rest of the world COUNTRY COUNTRY CHARATERISTICS Jamaica Jamaica was one of the largest sugar-producing colonies in the British Caribbean. It also had coffee and cocoa plantations. The island had a significant enslaved population Barbados Barbados was one of the earliest and most successful sugar-producing colonies in the Caribbean. Sugar was the dominant crop, and the island had a high concentration of sugar plantations. Cuba Cuba became a major sugar producer in the 19th century, particularly after gaining independence from Spain in the late 19th century. It also had tobacco and coffee plantations. Haiti Haiti, then known as Saint-Domingue, was the most profitable colony in the French Caribbean, primarily due to its sugar production. It also produced coffee and indigo. The Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) led to the abolition of slavery and the establishment of Haiti as an independent nation. Plantation Economies in the Caribbean COUNTRY COUNTRY CHARATERISTICS Dominican The eastern part of the island of Hispaniola, which is now the Dominican Republic, Republic was also involved in sugar and coffee production Trinidad and Trinidad was known for its cocoa and sugar plantations, while Tobago had sugar and Tobago cotton plantations Guyana Guyana, on the northern coast of South America, was a significant sugar-producing colony, with a diverse ethnic population that included people of Indian and African descent Saint Kitts These islands were known for their sugar plantations and were among the earliest and Nevis English colonies in the Caribbean. Plantation Economies in the Caribbean COUNTRY COUNTRY CHARATERISTICS Antigua and Sugar was the primary crop on these islands, with large sugar plantations worked by Barbuda enslaved labour Grenada Grenada had nutmeg and cocoa plantations alongside its sugar production Saint Vincent Like other islands, Saint Vincent had sugar and cotton plantations and the Grenadines Saint Lucia Saint Lucia also had sugar plantations among other crops Plantation Economies in the Caribbean  Country Population Cuba 5 830 Haiti 3 098 Dominican Republic 3 048 Puerto Rico 2 350 Major Plantation Economies of the Caribbean & Latin America  ▪Caribs / Arawaks ▪Plantation system: The plantation was the dominant economic, social and political institution in the past ▪It is a system of agricultural production and a social institution as well Summary ▪The plantation is a type of “Settlement Institution” ▪Two (2) characteristics of plantation production: 1. Export Orientation 2. Foreign Ownership ▪Plantation Economy ▪Plantation Economies in the Caribbean  Beckford, G.L. 1972. Plantations in Third World Economy In Persistent Poverty: Underdevelopment in Plantations Economies of the Third World Beckford, G.L. 2001. Plantation Society: Toward a General Theory of Caribbean Society In Caribbean Sociology: Introductory Readings Additional Readings: READINGS Britannica. 2024. Transatlantic slave trade. https://www.britannica.com/topic/transatlantic-slave-trade Pantin, D. The Plantation Economy Model and the Caribbean. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/43541668.pdf Our People: Ethnicity, Slavery and, Indentureship. n.d. CARICOM. https://caricom.org/our-community/who-we- are/our-people/