plantations

plantations Plantation economies developed in the course of European economic and social expansion, particularly in Latin America and South-east Asia. They are associated with a large-scale, limited range of export-oriented, staple-crop production in tropical or sub-tropical environments.

The traditional form of plantation was associated with slave labour. The socio-economic system that resulted was, in many cases, regarded as synonymous with the organization of colonies because of the investment of foreign capital and transfer of wealth from periphery to core. Historical changes have led to a variety of modern forms of plantation, ranging from those based in labour-intensive cultivation (often making widespread use of migrant or other unskilled unfree labourers), to more capital-intensive agro-industrial enterprises. In general, plantation agriculture is regarded as being exploitative of labour, land, and developing nations.