Growing Plantations: A Step Towards a Sustainable Green Future

Introduction

A plantation is actually a large scale estate in which people do farming of cash crops. The trend of creating and developing plantations has been increasing and it is done by people to get financial benefits. This is also great for the environment. There are different types of crops that can be grown in a plantation.

Some of the crops and trees grown in a plantation are coffee, tea, cotton, cocoa, sugar, oilseeds, rubber trees, teak, forest trees, sisal, etc. It totally depends on what crop you are going to grow and where depending on the natural comparative advantage you get.

When people do plantations, they build houses there that are known as plantation houses or farmhouses to look after their plantation.

This article will provide you information about plantations and how you can do it effectively. It will also provide you with ideas about things that you should know before doing the plantation. There are many advantages and some disadvantages related to plantations. We have also mentioned these in this article.

Different Types of Plantations

There are different types of plantations as mentioned below

1. Sugar

The sugar plantation has been a very highly valuable plantation enterprise since the time of British colonization. The use of sugar has rapidly increased during the 17th,18th, and 19th centuries and that has increased the trend of the sugar plantation. There are some countries that are famous for sugar plantations like Cuba and Barbados. The sugar plantation is still in trend but requires a lot of hard work.

2. Rubber Plantation

Rubber plantations have also been popular for some time. The rubber plant that is used for plantation is known as Hevea brasiliensis which is a commercially cultivated rubber plant. The rubber that we get from these trees is used to make erasers, tyres, tubes, and industrial products. India is known as the third-largest producer of rubber. Kerala is the state that is the largest producer of rubber in India.

There is something that you should know before you start growing rubber plants. You should be aware about what climate is favourable for their growth. They require a humid climate with heavy and well-distributed rainfall of 200-300cm.

3. Oil Palm Plantation

Oil palm is one of the highest oil yielding crops. This oil palm tree produces edible palm oil. The oil palm is also known as a golden palm due to its high yielding capacity. There are few advantages of oil palm like it is one of the highest edible oils among other oil crops. There is a low disease and pest incidence that occurs in an oil palm plantation. It provides upliftment to the economic status of the farmers, due to its high returns.

4. Fish Plantation

The plantation of fishes has become very popular among the planters. It is done commercially in tanks or enclosures like ponds. The plantation of fishes is usually done for the purpose of food. This plantation process is also known as aquaculture or mariculture. The demand for fish is increasing day by day and that’s why the trend of the fish plantation is also getting more popular.

Tips and Tricks of Plantation Development

There are some things that you should consider before starting any type of plantation. Those things are mentioned below.

1. Place Where You are Going to do the Plantation

The place is one of the most important things to decide before planning to do a plantation. You should carefully analyze a lot of things like water supply, risk of fire, and many other things. These factors affect both national and international plantation. The place where the plantation is done should be habitable for the people who work there and look after it.

2. Time Period

This is another important aspect of the plantation. The plant that grows in summer can't be cultivated in the winters. The time of plantation plays a crucial role in growing certain plants. The harvesting also depends on the time and seasons.

3. Tree Type

The type of tree plays an important role in the plantation. There are trees that are sturdier in nature and can deal with hot, dry climates and heavy rainfall. Some trees tend to absorb all groundwater and dry up the surrounding areas like Eucalyptus. It is very important to plan and decide what type of tree you are choosing for the plantation and whether it can withstand the climatic conditions or not.

Steps to Follow to Create a Successful Plantation

These are some important steps that you should follow to do good plantation. The steps are mentioned below.

1. Soak

Before planting a tree for plantation, planters should ensure the root ball is soaked well in water. It is a fact that the dry root ball can reject water from the surrounding soil.

2. Dig

It is important to dig a hole that is twice the size of the root ball of the tree. In some cases, the depth of the hole is more important compared to width. A bigger and deeper hole is better for planting a tree.

3. Improving the Soil

The plantation can be improved by improving the soil structure and drainage system. The soil structure can be improved by adding organic matter to the soil. In some cases like sandy soils, compost is required to help the soil hold moisture around the roots. The use of good fertilizers like slow-release fertilizers with the microbial coating is essential.

4. Placing the Plant

After completing the above processes, you can place the plant in the hole and fill it back with soil. Always make sure that the soil that is around the plant is firm so that it can easily absorb rainwater and provide the water directly to the roots.

5. Watering

Watering the plant is very essential for plantation. By providing proper watering to the plants, the soil settles around the plant and helps the roots to get good contact with the soil.

Disadvantages of Plantations

According to many forestry experts, humans are expanding their cultivation into forest areas that are given to us by nature to maintain the balance. Due to their greed, they are changing those forests into a plantation. They are not thinking about the poor animals whose home is in the forest. By cutting off the forest they are disturbing the balance and the result can be catastrophic. According to some researchers around 7% of the natural forests have been lost in the tropics and converted into plantations.

The development of the plantation is usually spontaneous. It is mostly developed by outsiders. Many times, they don’t care about the interest of locals.

It does not contribute to the development of the local economy since most of the money and profit goes to foreign lands.

Only certain selected crop products are produced by the plantations. The products that are produced are sold in the external market or online so local people suffer from food shortages.

Sometimes it does not help in providing employment to the local youth as they arrange cheap labour from outside.

Conclusion

Plantations have always been a revolutionary step towards the development of the economy. It has been a great financial help for the planters in times of crisis. But there are some disadvantages to the plantation that we have mentioned in this article. There are certain things and ways of planting that you should probably know, otherwise your plantation would be a failure. So read this article properly and do your research. Doing work for a plantation is not an easy task. It requires a lot of attention, planning, hard work, and dedication.

Hard Work + Dreams + Dedication = Success!