The Impact of Sugar and Coffee in Latin America - Article Example

The Impact of Sugar and Coffee in Latin America 2717 Words Date Number of words Author’s Name Institutional Affiliation In the early 17th century Old World settlers introduced cash crop growing in Latin America making large plantations for wealth economist. However, the introduction of cash crops brought numerous impacts to the economy. The entry of Europeans into Latin America had disastrous effects such as emergence of diseases and genocidal policies, population decreases, and slavery. The construction of new world exploited the indigenous people who offered labor to sugar and coffee plantations. The development of sugar and coffee industry resulted from the intertwining of technology and culture to promote the economy. Farming is known to have the greatest impact on maintaining the sustainability of the environment1. Latin America discovered new crops such as coffee and sugar while the Europeans gained food crops such as sweet potatoes, vegetables and maize. Coffee and sugar is Old world cash crop from Europe that was introduced through triangle trade by North Africans and Arabians. The exchange of food and cash crop brought gains and losses that had a great economic impact on the countries. Europeans enabled viral and bacterial disease transmission such as smallpox and measles. European also on return to their homes they brought syphilis to their country. The contact between Europeans and Americans led to the development of Columbian exchange which affected the new world. Before 1492 C.E. the New World was separated from the rest of the world leading to the exchange of plants and animals. Many of these exchanges had both positive and negative impacts in the world. The effects Columbian Exchange were mostly in Europe and the Americas who directly participated in the trade. The impacts on Africa and Asia are less because they did not actively participate. The new discovery of cash crops in America was aided by European exploration and colonization2. The increase in cash crop cultivation resulted to the abduction and forced movement of people from Asia and Africa to offer labor in American sugar and coffee plantations. The Columbian Exchange has made major contributions to the history of economic development. American institutions have focused on economic studies to learn on changes that have occurred since colonialism in the world. European contact with Americans had numerous effects on economic development. Exchange of goods between the continents increased biological exchange of food and cash crops. The profits made from trade strengthened the economy of the countries. The exploitation of workers and slavery had numerous impacts. The shortage of labor in the European farms demanded to transport slaves from Africa to work in their firms. The introduction of food crops such as potatoes led to urbanization and increase in population. There were tremendous benefits from an increase in land for coffee and sugar production in Europe. Improved Crop Cultivation The trans-Atlantic trade led to the introduction of new crops in each continent. The Latin Americans discovered that some Old World crops easily adapted to the climatic conditions of the New World climate. The cash crops grew well in New World than how they were growing in the Old World. The exchange of crops improved productivity because the easily adopted to their new environment. The Atlantic trade brought the two continents which have been isolated together. Isolation of the continents made plants to evolve differently making transplanted crops flourish because they have escaped from parasites and diseases. Currently, Latin America produces the largest percent of sugar and coffee which were transplanted from the Old World. Sugar Cane and coffee are example of an Old World crop that was well adapted to Latin America environmental conditions. Most of the land in America is suitable for sugar cultivation. Spanish Canary Islands were the first to introduce sugar to the new world. During 1509, slaves were transported from Africa to Spanish Island and by 1516, there was the high exportation of sugar to Europe. The Portuguese also introduced sugar to America across the Atlantic making most of the Latin Americans invest in sugar production. Climatic conditions were favorable for sugar production providing a great advantage to New World. During 1680 sugar cane and coffee cultivation had dominated in Latin America. One of the effects of was the large-scale production of sugar that provided enough supply for the Europe population. The annual consumption increased per capita leading to increased yields that improved the economy of the country. Sugar became a cheap source of calories for urban Americans who largely consumed tea and other beverages. In the nineteenth century, the consumption of sugar further increased as food crops such as vegetables and fruits. The increase in sugar availability increased English welfare and created an industrial working class in Latin America. Today, Latin America is the largest producer of sugar in America accounting for about 90 percent of the new world production. Expansion of Coffee and Sugar Production Before the Columbian Exchange, Latin America source of sugar was bees, but the transatlantic trade led to the introduction of Sugar plantations in their region. The cash crops easily adapted to the prevailing climatic conditions leading to an expansion in production to meet the growing demand. The sale of sugar to other parts of the world became profitable for the Americans due to increased prices. The increase of sugar and coffee production dominated the list of profitable cash crops in Latin America. As the demand for sugar utilization increased, the provisions also expanded as it became popular in addition to the European diet. The increase in sugar production sparked the increase of coffee which was commonly used as a stimulant in many drinks3. The American factories fed the market of the Columbian Exchange with cheaply manufactured products of sugar and coffee. Spread of Disease The Columbian Exchange led to the spread of diseases from Old World to the New World. Invasion of people from the New World leads to the spread of disease-causing microorganisms. The native population was immunologically defenseless from Old World diseases. Native Americans had not suffered from diseases till when Europeans introduced the trans-Atlantic trade that brought disease causing pathogens to their land. 90 percent of Native Americans lost their lives leading to depopulation. The population on the island of Hispanola became virtually extinct. In the end, the American population reduced by 80 percent of the total population4. The decrease in population of the Americans due to diseases affected the economy of Latin America due to lack of personnel to provide labor in their sugar and coffee plantations. The reduction in population led to the establishment of slavery from Africa and Asian continents. Exchange of cash crops and food crops The introduction of sugar cane and coffee to the new world involved a form of barter trade. There was an exchange of cash crops with food crops. While sugar and coffee were being introduced to the New World, potatoes, maize, and cassava were being exchanged to the Old World. The barter trade between Europe and America had both negative and positive impacts in the world history. The exchange of food brought continents together for the population explosion which led to Industrial Revolution. The global food supply expanded leading to the introduction of new species of plants for agricultural production. The exchange of food crops resulted in improvements of caloric and nutritional value in the Old World. Tomatoes introduced in the old world improved food taste and increased vitamin intake5. The New World food led to an evolution of local cuisines in many places in the world. The Americans provided the people of Old World with knowledge on how the can make use of unpopulated land for crop cultivation to meet the increased market demand. Cash crops such as sugar and coffee were introduced in the New World making the Americans the main global supplier. Introduction of Staple Crops As Latin America adapted the sugar and coffee crops from the Old World, they exchanged staple Crop which could be grown in the old world. The advantage with Staple Crops is that they could easily grow in areas where cash crops were not growing in the Old World. The New World foods easily adapted to the prevailing weather conditions and soils than Old World crops. The American plants were beneficial to the Old World because farmers could produce food from different soils leading to the adoption of the New World crops globally6. Maize is a New World food from Latin America that has been adopted in most parts of the world. Food crops such as maize and cassava from New World provides sustenance for millions of people globally. The potato was the staple food that had greatest effect on Old World because it is a rich supply of calories and nutrients that help it to sustain life better. The potato has also been adopted in many parts of the world as a staple food making the Old World top consumers. Increased Forced Labor The exchange of crops led to increased migration of people from on continent to another. Africans were shipped by force to America during the Columbian trade to labor in the Americans firms. The transatlantic trade was fuelled increase in agricultural activities that demanded for workers to offer cheap labor. The forceful transportations of Africans to America led to the spread of Old World diseases and cultivation of Old World crops. The spread of diseases led to an extremely low population of Native Americans. The introduction of the cash crop in Latin America led large land cultivation which made the forcefully move African slaves to America. The movement of slaves to America led to the establishment of British Slave Trade Act that banned movement of slaves within British countries7. The closure of slave trade led to the rise of bonded labor contracts to maintain a constant supply of cheap labor. Latin America demanded for laborers from Europe and Africa continents. Most of those of voluntary migrated to Latin America moved to other areas such as Brazil. The Americans benefited from the profitable use of cheap labor and control of Atlantic trade. The Europeans supplied goods and were shippers of slaves making them unrivaled entrepreneurial expertise in the business world. Unequal Exchange of Food for Disease During the Columbian Exchange, there was an unequal exchange of food for diseases. There was the rise of divergent evolution between the America and Europe by rapidly exchanging plants, animals, and micro-organisms into New World environment with that of the Old World. The manmade reunion between the two continents had dramatically asymmetric effect for the peoples of the Old World and the New. The new world was free from diseases making the environment healthier than the Old World that was continuously invaded the populations8. The new world was infected with diseases that affected their population while the old World acquired plants that improved their economy. The dramatic death increase in the Old World after the incursions of the European colonists traumatized survivors who developed resistance to colonizers. The Europeans and Africans managed to solve food shortage crisis through the adoption of the staple food of the New World. Growth of agriculture and discovery of Columbus’ Day Through the exchange of commodities between the two continents the American commemorates the history of the new world through the Columbus Day. The day helps American to reflect how barter trade changed the world history. The Columbian day marks the world form of trade that increased food production in World. The Columbian Exchange led to the expansion of global trading network leading spread of civilization and development of the economy of the world. Despite the positive impact of the exchange, some Native Americans regard the trade as a symbol of oppression that led to the African slave trade. The Columbian Exchange led to the growth of agriculture and livestock trades. The arrival of staple crops rich calories such as vegetables to the Old World from the America had the largest impact on Europeans9. The introduction of staple crops in the Old the relative World increased ease of cultivating the crops that provided abundant supply. The growth in agricultural produce sustained the life of Europeans better leading to relative population increase. The American crops complemented with Old World food which increased the agricultural products that led to economic growth. Exchange of livestock As Latin America received cash crops from Europeans, there was also an exchange of animals that were a source of food, clothing, and energy. In addition to sugar and coffee, the Native Americans were able to receive horses, dogs, pigs, cattle, chickens, sheep, and goats. Animals became a source of food to areas that the climate was not suitable for major crop cultivation. The new animals in the New World were sources of meat and milk which provided an alternate source of power. The importation of horse, ass and ox became sources of energy in the new world for transportation of heavy loads10. The cattle were killed to provide meat and hides that became the source of wealth for Espanola through exportation from America to Europe. Development of Science and Technology Science developed through the outbreak of diseases in the New World that was introduced by the European settlers causing catastrophic effects for indigenous people. Scientists and historians carried out research to determine the origin and causes of the disease. The people who survived the communicable diseases had built up antibodies that inoculated against infection. The American ecosystem was invaded with diseases that destroyed certain plants and animal species. The presence of earthworms in the soil increases aeration, accelerating erosion and increased nutrient exchange that led increased food production. Earthworms make it easier for a growth of some plants while displacing other plants from their habitat11. Europeans settlement in the New World led to the cultivation of wheat and apples which introduced Old World weeds. The burning of forests by European settlers exposed the native flora to direct sunlight hence transforming European crops and weeds to the landscape of the New World In conclusion, the barter trade that occurred between New World and Old World brought about the greatest interchange of ideas, people, plants, and animals. People live were enhanced in the Old World through agricultural growth and use of staple crops. There was an expansion of livestock trade that gave opportunities for settlers and Native Americans to exchange goods. The trade between Old World New World marked the beginning of an era of global exchange of goods and services. The continental drift no longer represented barriers for the movement of people, goods, animals, plants and microbes. The trade catalyzed exploitation of Africans and Europeans trough slave trade leading to suffering. 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