Résumé
Regarding major tropical products such as coffee, cocoa, rubber, and palm oil, the shares of plantations in relation to smallholders differ across countries, historical periods, and crops. Why do large estates still play an important role in the palm oil sector while they are marginal in the cocoa sector? This question is addressed in the cases of Ghana and Indonesia through a brief survey of the literature, socioeconomic investigations in small farms, and participant observations in large estates. The change in this dualism depends on the conditions of introduction of each culture, and on the related public policies. The difference between palm oil and cocoa also relates to more technical and economic factors such as economies of scale, type of product and planting material, agricultural calendars, and their impact on labour management. Today, family plantations are spreading around, using some of the resources of large estates.