What was the historical significance of plantations?

Plantations required slaves, and in the colonial period slaves from West Africa were taken to these plantations located in mainly the Carribean and Brazil. This influx of Africans is responsible for the high population of blacks in the modern-day countries that once held these plantations. The high black population also brought in much of African culture that still exists in these countries as well. When colonialism ended and these countries gained independence, they became very poor due in part to the fertile land being occupied by cash crops and not actual food (you can't eat cotton or tobacco). When these crops were eventually removed, the soil was completley destroyed in terms of fertility due to the aggresive nature of the cash crops they once substained. In summation, plantations are the main reason why almost all Carribean nations are so poor today.