Farming systems in St. Lucia : an anthropological perspective

Lucia employ a heterogeneity of cropping patterns and technologies - including multiple cropping and polyculture, in which four to six crops are planted in vertical and/or horizontal combinations. Using data from an island-wide sample of 31 farmers, this report examines St. Lucia"s small farming systems with respect to land tenure, farmer classification, and climate. First, the island"s system of land tenure is analyzed, and it is shown how tenural arrangements - family land, annual leasing, freeholding, or sharecropping - are maximally manipulated by the farming household. It is noted that the various land tenure arrangements have evolved due to limited alternatives and scarce resources (e.g., farm labor, capital, inputs, and farm management) and that fragmentation of land is not as severe a problem as in other developing countries. Next, St. Lucia"s system of farm agriculture and differences in level of farming by category of farmer (e.g., commercial, semi-commercial) are assessed. Crop differences by climatic zone are described; while various cropping patterns are identified, it is noted that each farmer in the sample seems to have developed his/her own unique system. A concluding section identifies key constraints on increased food production.