(a) Describe the features of plantation agriculture in Africa (b) In what four ways has plantation agriculture contributed to the economic development of Af...

(a) Features of plantation agriculture in Africa

• Large estates covering very wide areas of land.
• Specialisation in a single cash crop (monoculture) such as cocoa, oil palm, rubber, coffee, tea or sugar cane.
• Crops are grown mainly for export to earn foreign exchange rather than for local food.
• Heavy use of capital, machinery and scientific methods (improved seeds, fertilisers, pest control).
• Employment of a large, mostly unskilled labour force, often supervised by trained management.
• Usually foreign or company ownership and located near ports or good transport, with on-site processing.

(b) Four ways plantation agriculture has contributed to economic development

• Earns foreign exchange through exports, boosting national income.
• Provides employment for many people, reducing poverty.
• Supplies raw materials for local processing and industries.
• Stimulates the development of infrastructure - roads, railways, ports, schools and health facilities - in the plantation areas.

(c) Four problems of plantation agriculture

• Dependence on one crop: a fall in world price or a disease outbreak devastates income.
• Exhaustion of the soil through continuous monoculture.
• Pests and diseases spread easily in a single-crop estate.
• Fluctuating world market prices and demand, shortage of labour, and high cost of capital and maintenance.