Why did many white small farmers leave Barbados during the 17th century?

During the 17th century, many white small farmers left Barbados primarily due to the economic and social shifts brought about by the "Sugar Revolution." As the island transitioned to large-scale sugar production in the 1640s, the local planter elite sought to maximize profits by consolidating land.1

Consequently, small family farms were increasingly bought up and amalgamated into large sugarcane plantations. This consolidation of land forced many white small farmers to emigrate to other regions, including Jamaica and the North American colonies, such as the Carolinas. This period also saw a dramatic demographic shift, as the plantation system relied on the labor of enslaved people from West Africa rather than the small-scale farming model that had characterized the early colonial era.1