Abstract
Sugar cane is being produced in the Caribbean under both the
plantation and peasant systems of agriculture. This dualism is not
only characteristic of Trinidad and the Caribbean, but also of other
sugar cane producing countries in the Tropical world. Current problems
facing Caribbean territories, namely increasing populations, unemployment,
limited land resources and lack of capital for industrialisation make it
necessary to study systems of cultivation so that development can be
purposefully planned.
Historically, in the Caribbean, export crops based on the plantation system have dominated both agriculture and the entire economy. The
provision of an infrastructure and services were directed primarily to
the benefit of the large estates. This equally applied to the provision
of labour supplies, for the peasantry of today grew out of the needs of
the plantations and was consequently affected by their requirements,with
tenurial rights in some islands remaining almost the same as in the pre - 183$ era. This left little scope for the development of prosperous rural
communities. Today the sugar industry is experiencing a critical period
in its history, as with current cost conditions the plantation sector
strives to attain full -scale mechanisation. In this respect policies
have to be formulated that will prevent serious social dislocation which
could derive from mechanisation. The aim must also be to create vibrant
and progressive communities able to attain reasonable Tiving standards
while utilising scarce resources efficiently. The dilemma in rural progress
in social and economic terms, is in deciding what form development should
take for both plantation and peasant, or what is an acceptable balance
between the two.
This study provides a view of peasant cane farming in Trinidad. Its
development is traced briefly, followed by a description of the operation
of the whole industry and its impact on the landscape. This is followed
by a more detailed treatment of cane farming in which consideration is
given to the physical, structural and institutional framework within which
peasant cane farming operates. Sufficient information was not available
from documentary sources so it was necessary to carry out field studies in
the form of the construction of a land -use map and a questionnaire survey
among the cane -farming population.
From studies of the data collected, it is the opinion of the present
writer that size of holding is the major factor affecting production in the
peasant sector. This is shown through the interaction of farm -size, capital
inputs, yields and other related variables. It is suggested that integrated
attempts at planning must be made in order to transform peasant producers into
efficient users of limited land resources and that haphazard and laissez - faire attitudes should be reformed.
In a changing Caribbean scene where social and economic objectives
are sometimes contraposed, it is necessary to chart courses carefully. Both
types of objectives are now being considered more closely than earlier in
the history of these islands. It is hoped that this study portrays some of
the constraints which prevent the development -of the most important form of
peasant commercial agriculture in Trinidad, and also in the entire
Caribbean region.
