Abstract
The West Indies provide good examples of tropical islands which, while inherently capable of providing a well-balanced, adequate diet for a large population, can nevertheless become vulnerable to famine if an inappropriate cultivation system is imposed on them. In examining contrasts in food production between aboriginal and European food-producing systems, evidence that the latter could create cycles of famine in particular islands is assessed. Famine in the West Indies generally gave rise to increased death rates and a substantial emigrant outflow.
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© 1984 D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland
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Watts, D. (1984). Cycles of Famine in Islands of Plenty: The Case of the Colonial West Indies in the Pre-emancipation Period. In: Currey, B., Hugo, G. (eds) Famine. The GoeJournal Library, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-6395-5_4
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