(a) Plantation Agriculture:
(i) It requires large capital outlay
(ii) Uses hired labour, master-servant relationship very evident
(iii) Ownership may be by foreigners e.g in East Africa or by multi-national companies in West Africa
(iv) Main crops involved are Cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, tobacco, teas, sisal, banana, sugarcane
(v) Products destined for export
(vi) It involves mono-cropping
(vii) It is normally on a large scale
(viii) It involves the use of machinery
(ix) Use of pesticides and herbicides
(b) Contributions:
(i) Employment
(ii) Revenue to government
(iii) Foreign exchange earner
(iv) Source of raw materials
(v) Complements infrastructural development
(vi) Uses research findings/facilities
(vii) Growth of failed industries
(c) Problems:
(i) High cost of spare parts
(ii) Inadequate storage facilities
(iii) Pest and diseases
(iv) Inadequate capital
(v) Inadequate skilled labour
(vi) Foreign ownership leading to exploitation
(vii) Competition with substitute fibres e.g sisal in East Africa
(viii) Fluctuation in world market price
(ix) Vagaries of weather
(x) Displacement/dispossessing of local farmers/herdsmen
(xi) Una,solved conflict with land owners.