Page 25 - CAPE Caribbean Studies Study Guide Sample_Neat

Module 2 Issues in Caribbean development

How technology hinders development

With the implementation of technology in the workplace, businesses have
become more automated, that is, machinery is used to perform certain
tasks. This reduces the need for manual labour, leading to an increase in
unemployment as people are gradually replaced by machinery.

Small businesses in the Caribbean that are unable to afford machinery may
have to shut down. They may be unable to compete in the market because
global companies can produce goods in greater numbers and benefit from
economies of scale (i.e. the decrease in cost of production as output increases).
People have become so reliant on technology that in some cases a culture of
laziness and dependency exists, which has arguably resulted in many social
ills. One example is that having such a reliance an automated systems has led
to a lack of social interaction.
However when access to the internet is low or unreliable in certain areas, not
only is there is a discruption to business, but a potential for the creation of a
wider gap between the rich and the poor, due to a lack of available technology.
Figure 2.8.2 Rice has been exported from
Guyana for more than 100 years
CASE STUDY

The Guyana rice industry

As far back as 1903, Guyana has been exporting rice. One major wetland
type that is exported is called Carolina Gold.

Rice exports have become a major part of the country’s revenue.
Approximately 70 per cent of Guyana’s rice is exported, with
over 251,000 metric tonnes being sent to the US.
Key points
Rice production is highly mechanised, meaning it utilises a number
of forms of technology along with human labour. Tractors plough the ■ Due to the advent of
rice fields, while seeds are sown mostly by hand. Planes are also used to globalisation, technology has
spray fertilisers and pesticides but the use of aircraft is confined to few become more widespread in all
planters. Harvesting is done twice a year, in September and December, aspects of daily life.
and a number of machines are used in the reaping process, ranging from
■ Technology can promote
harvesters that cut the stalks and huge trucks that transport the rice to
development, such as in the area
mills. Rice mills are used to separate the husk from the grain and then the
of health care.
grains are stored.
■ Technology is important in
Technology has also been used in the research and development of the production processes, such as in
rice itself. In the 1990s the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) the rice industry in Guyana.
refurbished a research station in a rice-producing area called Burma, and
carried out a number of studies into rice and the techniques used in its ■ Technology may contribute to
production. high levels of unemployment
when humans are replaced by
The government acknowledges that technology is integral to the survival machinery.
of the rice industry in Guyana.
Can you find a similar example of technology being integral to an
industry’s survival?

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