Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumAgricultural Systems and Land Use Practices

Plantation agriculture in tropical West Africa is distinguished from traditional bush fallowing primarily by which of the following features?

  1. Cultivation of single perennial cash crops on large, permanent estates using high capital inputAnswer
  2. B
    Rotational cultivation of annual food crops across scattered plots with periodic field abandonment
  3. C
    Seasonal migration of farming families across agro-ecological belts following rainfall patterns
  4. D
    High reliance on small, fragmented peasant landholdings using simple traditional hand tools

Answer

Cultivation of single perennial cash crops on large, permanent estates using high capital input
Plantation agriculture is a commercial farming system characterized by large permanent landholdings (estates), heavy capital investment in machinery and processing facilities, reliance on organized hired labor, and the specialized cultivation of a single perennial cash crop (monoculture) primarily for export.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the structural characteristics of plantation agriculture.
Plantation agriculture is defined by large-scale commercial monoculture, high capital investment, hired labor, and permanent land tenure.
Commercial tree crops like rubber, oil palm, and cocoa require long-term land commitment and modern infrastructure.
2
Compare plantation agriculture with traditional bush fallowing.
Bush fallowing involves rotating plots of land for food crop production and leaving exhausted plots fallow, contrasting sharply with the permanent, large-scale estate structure of plantations.
Identifying key differences in land tenure, capital input, and crop choice resolves the distinguishing feature.

Key Concept

Structural differences between commercial plantation agriculture and traditional bush fallowing
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Rate this question

Topics

Agricultural Systems and Land Use Practices

More questions from this topic