Caribbean agriculture

Categories: Agriculture; economic botany and plant uses; food; world regions

The Caribbean Sea is an extension of the western Atlantic Ocean that is bounded by Central and South America to the west and south and the islands of the Antilles chain on the north and east. At the end of the twentieth century, agriculture was basic to the economies of nearly every island. Two fundamentally different types of agriculture dominate: large-scale commercial, or plantation, agriculture and small-scale semi-subsistence, or peasant, farming. Plantation farming provides the most exports, by value, whereas peasant farming involves far more human labor. Many Caribbean states also depend heavily on imported food, so agriculture remains important both for exports and for food security.

Caribbean agriculture operates under various natural and cultural restraints. Most of the islands have rugged terrain, restricting productive agriculture to river valleys and coastal plains. Typically, less than one-third of an island’s land area is suitable for crops. The windward portions of islands are commonly very wet, whereas their leeward areas suffer drought, necessitating irrigation. Climate change and other hazards also affect agriculture, including the damaging winds of hurricanes, flooding, accelerated erosion, and landslides. In addition, some crops (notably bananas) face disease threats such as Fusarium wilt Tropical Race 4. On the human side, most peasant farms are restricted to steep, unproductive slopes, while plantations control most of the productive lowland soils. Population pressures have led to the loss of some of the best lands and have caused fragmentation of farmland. Farm labor shortages, climbing wages, and foreign competition have added to the burden. Regional governments and agencies have also promoted food security, food safety, trade, and farm-financing measures to increase production and improve the movement of agricultural goods within the region.

Commercial Agriculture

Plantations own large tracts of land and specialize in one crop, commonly sugarcane, bananas, coconuts, coffee, rice, or tobacco. They are more mechanized and better managed than colonial plantations, although ownership and management patterns vary across the region. The largest plantations are found on the largest islands, especially Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. Cuba also has large-scale farming, but the operations are government-owned. Plantations have always been smaller in the Lesser Antilles, where relatively little land is available.

Sugar has historically been important in parts of the Caribbean, but its regional role has declined sharply. Among traditional sugar producers in the Caribbean, notably Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and Barbados, sugar exports are exceeded by those of other commodities. Haiti, a leading sugar producer as a French colony, produces little. Overall, sugar production in the Caribbean has been on the decline since the 1960s as a result of the variety of problems noted above. That decline included the closure of the sugar industry in Saint Kitts and Nevis in 2005 and lower output in Jamaica.

Other commercial export crops grown in the Caribbean region include bananas, coffee, tobacco, and ganja. Bananas, introduced during the sixteenth century, became an important export in the late nineteenth century as markets developed in Europe and the United States. Sweet bananas are a significant export of Guadeloupe, Martinique, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Most individual island producers are small by world standards, although Latin America and the Caribbean together form the world’s leading banana-exporting region. Coffee is raised for export mainly in Haiti, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic. Jamaica’s famous Blue Mountain coffee, grown in the Blue Mountains northeast of Kingston, is among the most prized and expensive coffees in the world. Its production and export are largely for European, Japanese, and US markets.

Tobacco was important before the sugar era and has seen a resurgence in the Greater Antilles, especially in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic, mostly for cigar production. Ganja, marijuana prepared especially for smoking is illegal in much of the Caribbean, although some jurisdictions have decriminalized limited possession or created regulated medicinal uses. The product is nevertheless of considerable commercial importance. Jamaica is a major producer, and the United States has long been an important destination market. Other significant export crops include cacao (for chocolate) and citrus.

Peasant Farming

Peasant farming in the Caribbean began after emancipation in the nineteenth century, when formerly enslaved people sought out the only land available, in the hills and mountains. Unfortunately, this land is unsuitable for crop agriculture, having thin and erodible soils. Individual peasant farms average less than 5 acres (2 hectares) in area, often in disconnected plots. A variety of crops are raised, including fruits such as mangoes, plantains, ackee, and breadfruit; vegetables such as yams, potatoes, and okra; sugarcane; and coffee.

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