How did the Dutch develop sugarcane plantations in Guyana?

The Dutch development of sugarcane plantations in Guyana was a process defined by the forced labor of enslaved people and the implementation of sophisticated water-management infrastructure.

Beginning in the mid-17th century, the Dutch began importing enslaved people from West Africa to cultivate sugarcane. Initially, Dutch settlers established trading posts and settlements in the river basins, but by the 18th century, they shifted their estates downriver to the fertile soils of the estuaries and coastal mud flats.12

To make these low-lying coastal areas viable for large-scale agriculture, the Dutch engineered a system of water control that remains a defining feature of the Guyanese landscape today. They laid out arable land in strips between the sea or rivers and inland swamps, protecting these areas on all sides with a network of dikes and canals. These structures served the dual purpose of drainage and irrigation, allowing for the reclamation of land from the sea. This development was notably coordinated by figures such as Laurens Storm van ’s Gravesande, who served as the governor of Essequibo from 1742 to 1772.31