Agriculture is an important part of the economy, history, and culture of the American state ofLouisiana. Beginning with the settling of the land by Native Americans organized cultivation of the land and the raising of livestock has occurred in Louisiana through the colonial, plantation, and early modern periods to the present.
TheMississippian period in Louisiana was when thePlaquemine and theCaddoan Mississippian cultures developed, and the peoples adopted extensive maize agriculture, cultivating different strains of the plant by saving seeds, selecting for certain characteristics, etc. The Plaquemine culture in the lowerMississippi River Valley in western Mississippi and eastern Louisiana began in 1200 and continued to about 1600. Examples in Louisiana include theMedora site, the archaeologicaltype site for the culture in West Baton Rouge Parish whose characteristics helped define the culture,[1] theAtchafalaya Basin Mounds in St. Mary Parish,[2] theFitzhugh Mounds in Madison Parish,[3] theScott Place Mounds in Union Parish,[4] and theSims site in St. Charles Parish.[5]
In the early decades of the 20th century, thousands of African Americans left Louisiana in theGreat Migration north to industrial cities for jobs and education, and to escape Jim Crow society andlynchings. Theboll weevil infestation and agricultural problems cost many sharecroppers and farmers their jobs. Themechanization of agriculture also reduced the need for laborers.[6]
Many African Americans left the state in theSecond Great Migration, from the 1940s through the 1960s to escape social oppression and seek better jobs. The mechanization of agriculture in the 1930s had sharply cut the need for laborers. They sought skilled jobs in the defense industry in California, better education for their children, and living in communities where they could vote.[7]
In the 21st century farmers have experimented with advanced technologies likeartificial intelligence to improve their operations.[8]
Historically, sugar production was important in the growth of slavery inLouisiana.[9] Sugarcane was first planted inNew Orleans in 1751 by French Jesuit priests. AfterÉtienne de Boré introducedsugar refining to Louisiana in 1795, sugarcane production in Louisiana expanded dramatically; practically all Louisiana sugar was grown onplantations usingslave labor.[10]
In the first half of the 19th century, the output of the Louisiana sugar industry increased substantially.[10] By the 1840s, Louisiana produced between 25% and 50% of sugar consumed in the US but it was far from the World's biggest producer, which wasCuba.[11] TheAmerican Civil War paralyzed the sugarcane industry in Louisiana, causing a decline in output from 177,000 tons in 1855 to 5,000 tons in 1865.[10] By 1875, the output had risen to 60,000 tons.[10]
In the 21st century sugarcane production in Louisiana has been largely confined to theMississippi River Delta, where soils are fertile and the climate is warm. However, the sugar industry in Louisiana has expanded northward and westward into nontraditional sugarcane growing areas. Most of the expansion in sugarcane acreage has occurred when returns for competing crops, such asrice andsoybeans, have decreased. Louisiana production has also expanded because of the adoption of high-yielding sugarcane varieties, along with investments in newharvesting combines.[12]
Fig production is significant but mostly takes place on a small scale, historically mosthomesteads would have had a fig tree and today fig trees are among the most common fruit trees found in Louisiana yards and small orchards.Louisiana State University has a significant fig breeding program.[13][14]
