Benefits of intensive reading

Plantation agriculture: Plantations are large agricultural estates, which are usually located in less developed tropical countries, mainly in Africa, Central and South America, lndia and south—east Asia. The earliest plantations were established by European colonists between the 16* and the 19”‘ centuries. Crops could be obtained that did not grow in Europe, such as cocoa, coffee and cotton. Today, plantations produce coffee in Brazil and Ethiopia, tea in lndia and rubber in Indonesia and Malaysia. The number and size of plantations in developing countries has grown as a result of economic globalization. Plantations are now either directly controlled by multinational companies, or by local producers who sell their products to them. Plantation agriculture is a form of commercial agriculture. Lt requires large extensions of land, considerable capital investment, a good transport network, abundant cheap labour and modern machinery and techniques. Other characteristics are high productivity, monoculture and production fpr export.  

Benefits and disadvantages of plantation agriculture

- Benefits for multinational companies: Production costs are low because workers in ess developed countries are paid low wages.

- Benefits for less developed countries: Jobs are created, which stimulates local economies. Transport and marketing infrastructures are improved. Modern farming techniques and more efficient production processes are introduced.

- Disadvantages for less developed countries: Plantation crops are exported. Most of the profits go to foreign companies, while local workers have a low standard of living./ Many small farmers must leave their land and work on plantations because they cannot compete./ Companies aim for maximum output so exploitation becomes very intensive. This causes severe environmental impact. /Decisions are made based on the sales price of products. Lf prices drop, Wages drop too, and operations sometimes end. This causes unemployment and poverty.