Madagascar and Sisal Plantations
Wages, government and employment conditions for agricultural workers on a sisal plantation on the world’s fourth-largest island of Madagascar. What is sisal? Sisal plant Sisal is a strong fiber from the spiny leaves of the agave plant. Sisal hemp, or henequen, is the name given to the cleaned and dried fiber of the cultivated varieties of the agave plant. The name sisal may have originated from having been first exported through the port of Sisal, in Yucatan. In Africa, sisal is cultivated for fiber in Angola, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa, and Tanzania. In Tanzania and Kenya, sisal is predominantly a plantation crop as opposed to small-scale farming. A coarse and strong fiber, sisal is used in fabrics, twine, ropes, string, yarn, carpets, mats, cigarette paper filters, and tea bags. Sisal is also used in composite materials for cars, furniture, and construction as well as in plastics and numerous paper products. Sisal can also be used to ad...