Plantation Agriculture
Features of the Plantation System
1)Plantation crops are grown on a big piece of land.
The size is usually more than 300 hectares. Some plantations can be as big as 1000 hectares. Plantation agriculture is thus called large-scale agriculture.
2)It is a specialized system.
Generally only one type of crop is grown. Such a practice is called
monoculture. However in a few cases, duoculture or intercropping is also
practised on the plantations. Here, the two crops grown complement each other.
3)It is capital-intensive.
A lot of capital is required to set up a plantation. The management has to
build offices, factories, living quarters for workers, roads and sometimes light
railways, all of which cost money. During the growing period, scientific and
efficient methods have to be employed. Moreover, there is usually a lengthy
time-lag between planting a plantation crop and the first harvest.
4)It is labour- intensive. Plantation crops generally require a lot of care. So, many
people i.e. hired workers are needed to look after them. In the case of Malaysia,
the majority of unskilled or semi-skilled workers on the plantations are workers
recruited from countries such as Indonesia. To handle this large labour force,
skilled management is essential.
5)Plantation crops are grown mainly for export.
For countries like Malaysia, most of the raw output e.g. crude palm oil is processed and made into products such as cooking oil, candles and soap before they are sold to the local markets or exported to overseas markets.
Problems faced by the Plantation System
1) Dependence on world market prices.
Plantations usually practise monoculture and hence are affected by fluctuations in
world market prices. When the demand for the plantation crop falls, such as
during an economic recession, the economy of the producing country can be badly
affected especially if the country is dependent heavily on the crop for its income.
2) The spread of diseases or pests.
When diseases or pests attack a single crop, the whole plantation can be affected
and heavy losses incurred
3a) The impact of plantations on the environment.
The replacement of large areas of the forest by plantations caused a damaging
effect on the environment. Soil erosion has increased. The destruction of the
forests has upset the ecosystem. Certain species of flora and fauna are unable to
survive in the new environment and may become extinct.
b)Effluents discharged by the processing factories on plantations often cause
water pollution. For example, many palm oil mills dispose of the used water directly into streams and rivers. Another great danger comes from pesticides that are washed off the crops and then into streams and rivers. Extra costs are incurred when plantations are required by the government to treat the unwanted materials from the factories before disposing them into rivers and streams.
4) Competition from substitutes
Such competition can create additional problems. For example natural rubber has
to compete with synthetic rubber. In Malaysia, cooking oil made from palm oil
faces competition from soya bean oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, canola oil and olive
oil produced by developed countries.
(The above materials are taken and adapted from Secondary School Geography 4 Express Course published by CDIS in 1986)
Activity
1a) Describe the features of the plantation system. [10m]
b) Using the notes given above and your textbook, compare and
contrast an oil palm plantation with that of a padi field. [10m]
2a) What are the problems faced by the plantation system of agriculture?
[10m]
b)Referring to Malaysia, what has the government done to minimize
the problems faced as a result of the cultivation of oil palm? [6m]
c) What else can be done by the Malaysian government to reduce
environmental degradation as a result of the clearing of land for
plantation agriculture and the processing of palm oil? [4m]
3) Assess the advantages and disadvantages brought about by oil palm
plantations in Malaysia. [10m]
(Apart from the notes above and your textbook you can also log on to to help you answer some of the questions.)
------End of notes and activity on plantation agriculture------