The sustainability of the Martinican sugarcane, sugar, and rum sector goes through a rationalization of agricutural production development and its suitability with the industrial demand in raw material. This also implies suitability between the sugar and rum industry supply and consummers' demand. If «productivity» and «products quality» underly research-development programs for this sector, it is important to emphasize the key social and economic role played by the small sugarcane growers. One of the symptoms of sugarcane sector unease is precisely the decrease in the number of small growers, while, after the 1999 harvest, a real will of increasing the sugarcane planted area is arising, it is important to follow this reflextion. The social and technical analysis of sugarcane production systems will allow for exploration of means leading to sustanability of the exploitations, and therefore of the sector.