Plantation agriculture in africa

Plantation agriculture simply refers to the cultivation of perennial crops on large extensive areas of land. This method of crop cultivation is the most widely spread in West and East Africa with equatorial type climate.

MAJOR AREAS OF PLANTATION AGRICULTURE

In East Africa, the areas and the crops include Tobacco and Tea in Kenyan Highlands and Coffee in Uganda.  In West Africa, a lot of crops are cultivated under the plantation scheme which include the following.

1. Cocoa plantation in Western State (Ekiti, Ondo, Osun, Ogun and Oyo) of Nigeria; Kumasi in Ghana and Bouake in Cote d’Ivoire
2. Rubber plantation in Benin (Edo State) Nigerian and Howbel in Liberia
3. Oil palm plantation in Benin (Edo), Okitipupa plantation are also prevalent in Benin Republic

CHARACTERISTICS OF PLANTATION AGRICULTURE

1. It requires large hectares of land
2. It depends on large number of unskilled workers
3. It equally requires the services of skilled workers
4. It depends on large amount of capital
5. It involves the application of complex tools for maximum output
6. The presence of undulation plans as in the case of East Africa
7. Adequate rainfall distribution throughout the year
8. Availability of good transport network such as roads, rail and water, as in the case of western states of Nigeria
9. Availability of fertile such as loamy soil as in the case of West Africa and volcanic soil as in East Africa.
10. Presence of large market

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF PLANTATION AGRICULTURE

1. It provides employment opportunities
2. It provides raw materials for the various categories of industries
3. It leads to skill acquisition
4. It generates revenue to the government and individual farm owners
5. It often serves as a tourist centre
6. It leads to agricultural innovations and establishment research centres as the case of NIFOR (Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research, Benin (Edo State) Nigeria.
7. It contributes a lot to foreign exchange earnings through the exportation of its products.
8. It leads to the development of towns with modern facilities and infrastructure as in the case of NIFOR near Benin (Edo State) and Ugharefe Rubber Estate near Sepele (Delta State) of Nigeria respectively.
9. It encourages the development of hybrid corps are carried out by the various research centers.

PROBLEMS FACING PLANTATION AGRICULTURE

1. Land tenure system as practiced in most parts of West Africa particularly Nigeria
2. Insufficient capital to run the plantation efficiently
3. Problem of skilled workers to supervise thoroughly the various plantation in the rural areas.
4. The problem of ownership in the hands of foreign investors.
5. Problem of price fluctuation of the various plantation products
6. Problem of pests and disease which can spread easily as a result of the infection of a single crop in an area
7. Problem of inadequate rainfall and strong breeze as in the case of equatorial lands
8. The use of crude implements in the cultivation of crops
9. Inaccessibility (lack of good road network) coupled with lack of good modern infrastructure.

SOLUTION TO PROBLEMS OF PLANTATION AGRICULTURE

1. Good roads and other infrastructural amenities should be made available in the rural areas
2. The various governments should provide loans and credit facilities to prospective plantation farmers.
3. The formation of cooperative and thrift societies will enable farmers to pool up resources.
4. Agricultural machine spare parts should be made available to farmers.
5. Good incentives should be given to skilled personnel who pick up jobs in the rural areas where the plantations are located.
6. Government should establish demonstration sites where farmers should be educated on the use of modern form tools
7. Government should encourage proper farm management as to the use of pesticides and insecticides in case of outbreak of disease