Many sugar plantations in the Caribbean were originally producers of cotton and tobacco. In the mid 17th century, many growers switched due to the higher profitability of sugar and the fact that the land tended to lend itself to sugar production. In order to increase production, many plantations also developed various methods of irrigating the land as sugar is a crop that demands a great deal of water.
The land that was typically used was often close to the coast of the various islands in the Caribbean as well as valley floors and plains in other tropical regions. The land could also be used to grow rice in addition to the other crops mentioned above.
In many places where land close to island coast lines was used for sugar plantations, farmers found it more valuable to sell the land to be developed for residential or tourist-use than to continue cultivating sugar.
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