This document outlines the key differences between plantation agriculture and high-technology farming. Plantation agriculture requires large tracts of fertile land in tropical regions with favorable climate conditions and relies on manual labor. High-technology farming utilizes machines, computers, and other modern technologies on smaller plots of land, with controlled environments like greenhouses. Outputs of high-technology farming include organic vegetables, orchids, and fish farms, while outputs of plantation agriculture include oil palm fruit and derived products like crude palm oil and palm kernel oil.

1. Lesson objectives
1. State the conditions required for Plantation
Agriculture and High Technology farming.
2. Describe and explain the process of
Plantation Agriculture and High -Technology
farming.
3. List the outputs for Plantation Agriculture and
High – Technology farming.

2. Conditions for
farming
Plantation Agriculture eg
Malaysia
High-Technology farming
eg Singapore
Sunlight/ Rainfall High temperature , high rainfall, high humidity e.g. tropical
countries like Thailand, Malaysia, India
Relief Flat and large land area Flat and small land area
Soil Fertile Soiless / Soil
Fertiliser Chemical fertiliser Organic fertiliser
Tools Intermediate High technology
Capital High Higher
Seeds High Yielding Variety High Yielding Variety
Pesticides /
Herbicides
Yes Yes & No (Organic)
Labour A lot of hired laborers to
operate machineries
Educated & skilled workers
to operate computers

3. Definition
The use of modern science and technology to obtain high quantity
and high quality outputs.
Characteristics
 Usually take place around densely populated urban areas where
land is limited and costly.
High-technology - using machines, refrigerated vehicles, computers
and Research & Development to raise production
Uses Chemical fertilizers - adding essential nutrients for crops to
grow well and fast
Utilizes Irrigation - supplying water to the crops through automated
sprinklers at regular intervals

4. Hydroponics – plants are
grown in a trough filled with a
nutrient solution instead of
soil. The solution is added by
using a computer with timings.
Aeroponics – roots of the plants
are suspended in the air and
nutrient solution is sprayed onto
the roots at preset intervals.

5. Aeroponics
Automated sprinklers Greenhouse with netting
Hydroponics
Spraying pesticides using
aircraft
Spotlight to speed up growing
process

6. Outputs of High-Technology farming
1. Organic & healthier vegetables
2. Orchids farm
3. Fish farm

7. Definition
 Commercial cultivation of cash crops (normally
monocrop) on large estates of more than 40ha
under favourable climatic conditions
 Requires high annual rainfall and high annual
temperature
 Found in the tropical regions in Asia, South
America and Africa

8. 1) Germination (grow)
~ in small plastic bags in pre-nursery beds
2) Transplanting
~ after 8 weeks/ 2 months
~ seedlings transplanted to nursery
~ irrigation & weeding – done manually
3) Growing in main fields
~ after 9 months
~ seedlings arranged in rows
~ growing cover crops between rows of oil palm eg. Legumes to prevent soil erosion
~ weeding & adding fertilisers
4) Harvesting
~ after the 3rd or 4th year – bear 1st fruits
~ harvest once in 10 days (10-20 years – perennial crops)
~ use a chisel fitted to a wooden pole
Processes - Growing oil palm

9. The oil palm fruit
Using a long-handled
chisel to remove the
fruits
Refinery of palm oil
At the Processing
Factory
Oil Palm Plantation Tea Plantation

10. Outputs of oil palm plantation
1. oil palm fruit
2. crude palm oil (raw materials for soap,
margarine, cooking oil)
3. palm kernal oil
4. palm kernal cake - made into animal feed