Sugarcane industry, today dominates the rural economy of Fiji and employs a large number of rural population. The first sugar, introduced by the European colonists, was produced in Fiji in 1862 around the flatland areas near Suva (now the capital city of the country) due to the availability of fertile alluvial soils (FSC 2014). However, after the first few years the center of production shifted to the rural western and northern parts of Fiji’s two biggest islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu (also known as the ‘cane belt area’), due to the fact that sugarcane needs dryer areas for better quality of sugar to be produced (Ward 1965; Mayer 1961). Whilst the majority of the growers are Fiji Indians, the land belongs to the indigenous Fijians …show more content…
Sugar contributed 8 percent of the Gross Domestic Production (Fiji Island Bureau of Statistics 2015). In short, sugar industry is still vital for Fiji’s economy and the significance of the industry is still substantial to Fiji’s rural economy (Paresh and Biman 2003).
For the purpose of this essay, the rural livelihoods of Fiji Indian sugarcane farmers will be discussed in relation to the sustainable livelihood framework. Chambers and Conway (1992, p. 6) defines ‘sustainable livelihood’ as:
A livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets (including both material and social resources) and activities required for a means of living. A livelihood is sustainable when it can cope with and recover from stresses and shocks, maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets, while not undermining the natural resource base.
On the other hand, Scoones (2015, p. 11) argues ‘rural livelihood’ is more than agriculture and farming, it includes off-farm activities such as rural employment and migration as means of links to the urban areas. This essay, thus, will first explore the livelihood assets of rural farmers, that is, the human, physical, natural, financial and social capitals. Secondly, it will discuss the vulnerability contexts affecting the farmers, such as, the shocks, trends and seasonality. Thirdly, this essay will look at the livelihood diversification strategies for farmers and, finally it will conclude with recommendations for improving the
The colonies didn't quite meet the required conditions for cane sugar to grow, but it seemed to work out. In document 2, it states the cane sugar needs at least 80-90 inches of rain water. How did they do this when Jamaica and Barbados did not meet the requirements in climate? Well, it is simple, and it appears that they would've had to water the canes in order for them to grow, and in Barbados, maybe they even mixed the soil. This most likely made the job
Land was necessary during the sugar trade because it was important to grow sugar cane. According to document 2, the climate and soil types were ideal for growing sugar cane in Jamaica and Barbados. Therefore, the European countries who colonized the islands could grow sugar cane, sell it back to Europe who taxes and then receives tons of money. Britain than became more rich and a very powerful colony.
To begin with, England found an important cash crop in the Caribbean. Sugar cane was introduced to the tropical environment of the Caribbean after Christopher Columbus landed in the New World. Sugar is native to southeastern Asia. Later, the Portuguese brought sugar to Brazil. Today Brazil is the lead producer of sugar.
In doc. 1, a map is shown. This map shows all of the islands and larger land masses that are perfect for the growing of sugarcane in central America. Many countries decided to take advantage of this and made central America the capital of the sugar trade. Thousands of plantations took root and out of them came the flourishing sugar trade. Without the fertile land, the trade would never have started and because of the land, the sugar trade was driven forward to become an enormous industry. To continue, in document 2 it shows just how perfect the land was for growing sugar cane. The climates of two islands, Jamaica and Barbados are almost exactly alike to the ideal climate for growing. In that same region there were tens of more islands, all perfect for growing sugar. Without this perfect land and climate, the sugar trade would never have developed or driven forward and without the sugar trade, England would never have become the global empire that it
The sugar trade succeeded due to the increasing demand for the product, along with the advent of European colonization of the Caribbean, and the use of slavery as an efficient workforce. The rise in demand for sugar was partially a result of the addictive properties it had, which caused people to want more of it. The islands on which the Europeans were colonizing were ideal for the growth of cane sugar, the plant that is processed into the finished sugar product. With the use of slaves, the production of sugar was happening at a much quicker and cheaper rate than before, thus creating more sugar to supply the demand. During the sixteenth century, the Europeans colonized the Caribbean islands, which were perfect for running sugar plantations.
Since the demand was so high, the manufacturers were faced with maintaining a high crop yield, but luckily the Caribbean islands provided an ideal location for growing cane sugar. Once plantations were constructed yet
Because of Britain’s colonies’ land and climates, they were more efficiently producing sugar. Britain had a perfect trade route for trading sugar, and had two particular places that were perfect for growing/making sugar (Doc 1), which were Jamaica and Barbados. Jamaica and Barbados had the perfect setting for sugar making. They had the correct temperature, latitude, soil, and rainfall amounts (Doc 2). The land was a sugar making machine. Because of Jamaica, Barbados, and their trading route, Britain had an advantage in the Sugar Trade. They could grow sugar in places where others couldn’t even get close to the right setting.
One of the leading factors in the growth of the sugar trade was the ideal land in the Caribbean for the growth of
The location and climate of the colonized islands are discussed in Documents 1 and 2. By 1750, France, Spain, and Britain had established colonies on the Caribbean islands. (Doc. 1) The discovery and settlement upon those islands enabled the trade of crops that were cultivated there, such as sugar cane. Two of those islands, Jamaica and Barbados, had close to ideal climates for the production of cane sugar. (Doc. 2) Such climates provided further ease in the manufacturing of cane sugar, in that they generated more product at a much swifter rate. With the islands having been settled on, and the growth of sugar cane accelerating, there needed to be plantations in order to convert the canes into sugar. The systems on which the plantations functioned are expanded upon in Documents 6 and 7. William Belgrove detailed the necessary provisions for a five hundred-acre plantation, which included nine different houses, three-hundred slaves, and two-hundred twenty-five animals. (Doc. 6) The information presented exhibits that there are a lot of requirements in order to smoothly run a large sugar plantation, though it was possible. The plantations were almost always owned by wealthy families, most of whom were absent from the estates they owned. (Doc. 7) The value of the sugar trade was immediately recognized by these wealthy families, so as a result, they were able to
Sugar has been a staple in the diets of Europeans for centuries. From desserts to tea, sugar has been added to everything. While it is unhealthy in large doses, the demand for the saccharide does not falter. Before sugar could be mass produced by machines, much of the labor was done by slaves. While this benefitted white Europeans, they were the only ones to have profited from this new sugar craze. The African population suffered immensely from the sugar industry as the working conditions of sugar plantations were brutal and they had no civil rights as slaves.
The modern sugar industry began with Christopher Columbus, the misguided sailor who set sail from Palos de la Frontera, Spain, westward toward China on August 3, 1492. He got as far as Cuba. As planned, Columbus landed at the Canary Islands a short time after leaving Spain, to load up provisions, however Columbus fell in love with the land's ruler, the beautiful Beatriz de Bobadilla y Ossorio. They had a month-long affair before he finally sailed away. She gave as a gift some sugarcane cuttings, which he planted in what he thought was land near China, but which were really the islands of San Salvador, Cuba and Hispaniola.
Two of the islands which were best fit for cane sugar’s growth were Jamaica and Barbados (Doc. 2). Their soil and yearly temperature made it so that growing the crop was easier to do. During the heyday of the sugar trade, both Jamaica and Barbados were under English rule (Doc. 1). Due to their connection with England, some of the most successful plantations were run by Englishmen. One of these Englishmen was Charles Long, who at the time, held the largest amount of Jamaican land of any English plantation owner (Doc. 7). He and others took advantage of the ideal climate of the area, making the sugar trade thrive. As plantation owners were getting wealthier, the demand for sugar was also on the
These organizations could provide teaching about efficient farming and making more productive crops available, which in turn would increase yield. Also they could help to build infrastructure like factories that could produce biofuels from sugarcane which could allow a greater profit to be rendered by the land. Infrastructure for irrigation could be greatly improved. When their irrigation infrastructure was damaged it led to the loss of other crops. One example of this is the production loss of 110000 tonnes of milled rice. Rice is the main crop on the island, and the other crops most commonly grown are sugarcane, vanilla, and coffee. Rice makes up 45% of the agricultural output and is usually a domestic product, because it is consumed usually on the island. Whereas sugarcane, vanilla, and coffee are mostly exported to their trade partners. These trade partners include the United States, France, China, and Iran. By improving the areas I listed above, production for these Items could increase which in turn would increase trade with these
- Economic return: Net returns to farmers per Hectare from growing Sugar cane are high. From Exhibit 9 with nominal cash flow of a crop life cycle ( 4 years), the total return of one hectare is 6,900 (000'VND) and net present value is 3,841 (000'VND) with nominal discount rate 13.3%/year. Compare to coffee and rubber, sugar cane need only one year to revenue.
One of the large percentages of jobs involves agriculture like sugar. Travel and tourism is one of the main ways to bring money to the country. Sugar brings one third of the money to the country. There are about 250,000 people visiting Fiji each year. Each year there has been less and less skilled workers immigrating to Fiji. Because of where Fiji is located, it consists of many rich natural resources including abundant rain forests and other mineral resources. Theses sources are good for the economy too. Many edible fish live near the islands such as sailfish, barracuda, big-eyed and dog-tooth tuna, several different species of marlin fish, and many others, so fish is a large part of the economy in Fiji. Gold is another big thing in Fiji. The country also has major mahogany reserves. Some of the crops Fiji exports are ginger and coconuts, but both of those production levels are declining. Some of the main exports are sugar, gold, timber, fish, molasses, mineral water, and coconut oil. One of the most successful industries in Fiji is still mineral water, which since 2000 is primarily imported to the United