Editing Economy of Barbados (section)

=== Agriculture ===
[[File:Saint Andrew, Barbados 040.jpg|thumb|The cultivation of sugar cane, such as the cane growing in this field outside [[Saint Andrew, Barbados|Saint Andrew]], has always been a big part of the island's economy.]]
About {{convert|16000|ha|acre|abbr=off}}, or 37.2% of the total land area, are classified as arable. At one time, nearly all arable land was devoted to sugarcane, but the percentage devoted to ground crops for local consumption has been increasing. In 1999, 500,000 tons of sugarcane were produced, down from the annual average of 584,000 tons in 1989–91. In 2001, sugar exports amounted to US$22 million, or 8.4% of total exports. Major food crops ("[[Ground provisions]]") are yams, sweet potatoes, corn, eddoes, cassava, and several varieties of beans. Inadequate rainfall and lack of irrigation has prevented the development of other agricultural activity, although some vegetable farming takes place on a commercial scale. Some cotton is also grown in drier parts of the island, but until cotton can be picked by machine it is unlikely that output will rise to its former level.