The Impact of Agricultural Diversification Policies in Barbados in the Post-war Period

The extent to which agri'al diversification in Barbados has been achieved since WWII is examined, & the problems facing a diversification program are discussed. The changing relative position of sugar & minor crops in the period is shown through data on land use, production, total food...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social and economic studies 1968-09, Vol.17 (3), p.353-365
Main Authors: Persaud, Bishnodat, Persaud, Lakshmi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural land
Agricultural policy
Agriculture/Agricultural
Barbados
Crop diversification
Crop economics
Crop production
Crops
Diversity/Diversification
Farm economics
Food crops
IV. DEVELOPMENT PLANNING AND POLICY: A CASE STUDY
Land use
Peasant agriculture
Sugar industry
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Summary:The extent to which agri'al diversification in Barbados has been achieved since WWII is examined, & the problems facing a diversification program are discussed. The changing relative position of sugar & minor crops in the period is shown through data on land use, production, total food expenditure & food imports & contributions to Gross Domestic Product. These show that little or no success has been achieved in the diversification program. The reasons for the lack of success are examined. Sugar is fairly intensive in the use of land, a scarce resource in the island. Technological developments have improved yields & reduced production risks. Sugar thrives well in the island & shallow soils & low rainfall which would hinder most other crops do not have a signif adverse effect on the econ's of the crop. The Commonwealth Sugar Agreement has provided guaranteed markets & remunerative prices. On the other hand, the alternative agri'al enterprises which have been pursued are very demanding on such scarce resources as manag, agri'al knowledge & skills, & water supply. These enterprises face high production & market risks & are provided with inadequate res & exp'tion. Diversification efforts have been concentrated on small farms & these are too small to provide adequate fam incomes; hence small farmers tend to prefer sugar-cane cultivation, which takes little of their time & which allows them to carry on non-agri'al occup's. In spite of these problems, diversification must be pursued. The UK's desire to join the European Econ Community has made continuation of the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement uncertain. Hence the need for diversification has now become great. The total effort should be larger & it needs better planning. Planning should attend to such problems as acreage targets for sugar-cane & other crops, areas suitable for new crops, the econ's of water utilization on new crops & non-agri'al uses, suitable farming systems for diff parts of the island, & the relative suitability of the large & small farms for the diversification program. Modified AA.
ISSN:0037-7651