One
mono-crop production (a single commodity, such as sugar)
In colonial Spanish America, the encomienda system was developed to support plantation agriculture. This system granted Spanish settlers the right to extract labor and tribute from Indigenous populations in exchange for protection and religious instruction. Although intended to be a form of mutual benefit, it often led to severe exploitation and a significant decline in Indigenous populations due to harsh working conditions and diseases. Over time, this system evolved into the hacienda system, which further entrenched plantation agriculture.
Plantation agriculture is a commercial tropical agriculture system which is essentially export-oriented. The local government and foreign/ international companies exploit the natural resources of the TRF for making profit, usually short-term economic gain. It often involves the deliberate introduction and cultivation of economically desirable species of tropical plants at the expense of widespread replacement of the original native and natural flora. They are often associated with plantation agriculture are widespread modifications or disturbance of the natural landscapes through such artificial practices as the permanent removal of natural vegetation, drainage improvement, soil improvement and application of chemicals, etc. For example, rubber plantation / oil palm plantation in West Malaysia
The plantation system was the division of the land into smaller parcels that were under private ownership. The plantation system started in Virginia.
Plantation agriculture is a commercial tropical agriculture system which is essentially export-oriented. The local government and foreign/ international companies exploit the natural resources of the TRF for making profit, usually short-term economic gain. It often involves the deliberate introduction and cultivation of economically desirable species of tropical plants at the expense of widespread replacement of the original native and natural flora. They are often associated with plantation agriculture are widespread modifications or disturbance of the natural landscapes through such artificial practices as the permanent removal of natural vegetation, drainage improvement, soil improvement and application of chemicals, etc. For example, rubber plantation / oil palm plantation in West Malaysia
Three- field system, Apex
The plantation system was developed in the Southern colonies of the US. A plantation system/economy is an economy based on agricultural mass production, usually of a few staple products grown on large farms called plantations.
The plantation system worked as a mass production system in agriculture. Established settlements in the Americas divided the land up under private ownership. Slaves worked as free laborers from dawn to dusk. Women and men had to work the same amount of hours and pregnant women were required to work until delivering their child.
Plantation owners thought they needed slaves to maximize profit by exploiting free labor in agriculture. Slavery allowed them to maintain low production costs and increase their economic gains. Additionally, the plantation system relied on slave labor to sustain large-scale agricultural operations.
The plantation system was first developed by Portuguese explorers in West Africa.
The plantation system was self-sufficient because it produced its own food, generated income through cash crops like cotton or tobacco, and had a labor force of enslaved people who provided the necessary manpower for agriculture and other operations on the plantation. Additionally, many plantations had their own infrastructure such as housing, schools, and churches to meet the needs of the community living on the plantation.
Agriculture in Spanish America was primarily focused on cash crops such as sugar, tobacco, and indigo for export to Europe. This system was heavily reliant on indigenous and African slave labor to support the plantation economy.
labor shortages, slavery and cash crops led to the development of the Plantation system.