Plantation

A plantation is a large farm on which usually grows only one type of crop. Plantations grow cash crops, mostly for export, and less for local use. Crops grown on plantations include banana, sugarcane, coffee, tea, cotton and tobacco. 

Most plantations are monocultures, which means only one kind of crop is grown there. This means that the farms are more vulnerable to pests.

The latifundia of the Roman Empire were one of the first known types of plantations. They produced large amounts of wine and olive oil for export.

Before slavery was outlawed in the United States, many enslaved black people were forced to work on Southern plantations.

Plantation agriculture has increased because there has been more international trade and less subsistence farming. Like every economic activity, it has changed over time. Changes have been based on the amount of money people have had, who owns the land, and politics. 

Category:Agriculture