A way that landowners took advantage of sharecroppers was by

Paying the african american less prices (apex)

didnt have to pay people to make profits on land using cash crops A Sharecropper is a farmer who doesn't own the land he farms. The landlord that owns the land gives the farmer a place to live, buys the seed for the farmer to plant. The farmer gets a share of the profits for his labor. It was not usually much, but his family had a place to live and food on the table.