National 4/5 Geography Rural Change Summary Notes and Past Paper Questions 1 National 4/5 Geography Rural Change By the end of this unit you will: 1. Be able to explain key terms in farming 2. Be able to describe and explain the main characteristics of a rural landscape in a developed country (extensive commercial farming in East Anglia) 3. Be able to describe and explain changes that have taken place, the reasons and the impact of these, in a rural landscape in a developed country 4. Be able to describe and explain the main characteristics of a rural landscape in a developing country (intensive subsistence farming in India) 5. Be able to describe and explain changes that have taken place, the reasons and the impact of these, in a rural landscape in a developing country Introduction Types of Farming Intensive Farming Intensive farms generally take up a fairly small area of land, but aim to have a very high output, through massive inputs of capital and labour. These farms use machines and new technologies to become as efficient and cost-effective as possible. Extensive Farming Extensive farming is the direct opposite of intensive farming. The farms are large in comparison to the money injected into them or the labour used. The cattle ranches of central Australia area good example of extensive agriculture, where often only a few farm workers are responsible for thousands of acres of farmland. Subsistence Farming Subsistence farmers only produce enough to feed themselves and their family, without having any more to sell for profit. This is the most common form of farming in developing countries. Commercial Farming Commercial farming involves farming for a profit. The farmer is growing crops or rearing animals to sell for as much money as possible. These farms can be arable (just growing crops), pastoral (just rearing animals) or mixed (both arable and pastoral). Most of the farming in developed countries is commercial farming of one type or another. 2 Types of Farming in the UK The main types of farming that you would find in the UK are arable, dairying and hill farming. Many farms are actually mixing some or all of these in an attempt to make more money. Most farming in Britain tends to be intensive although some of the hill farms of Wales and Scotland could be described as extensive. All of them are commercial. Climate Soils Relief Warm summers, cold frosty winters. Arable (e.g. East Average temperatures of 18°C or more. Fertile boulder clays, which are Generally flat, so it easy for Anglia) Low rainfall, falling during the growing easy to plough. machinery to be used on it. season mainly. Warm summers and mild winters mean that Gently sloping, the green rolling Dairying (e.g. Fertile enough for good pasture pasture is available all year long. High hills of the UK. Cattle cannot cope Devon) growth, but not for arable crops. rainfall also encourages fast grass growth. with land that is too steep. Cool summers, cold winters and plenty of Thin, poor soils that can be Hilly, steep land that would not be Hill Farming rainfall all contribute to these areas being easily eroded and would not be suitable for machinery or cattle. (sheep) (e.g. unsuitable for arable farming but good for good enough for other forms of Sheep can cope with the slopes Wales) grass growth. farming. though. Market Soil is brought in to provide the Temperature and water is usually controlled The greenhouses themselves need Gardening* (e.g. best nutrients for the crops. carefully by being in huge greenhouses. flat land on which to be built. East Anglia) Fertilisers are used extensively. Question 1 Use the 2012 General map to answer this question. Find Kincardine Farm at grid reference 8721. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this site for a farm? 4 marks 3 Question 2 Use the 2010 General map to answer this question. “Brow Head Farm in grid square 3604 is likely to be a mixed farm.” Do you agree fully with this statement? Give reasons for your answer. 3 marks Case Study: Commercial Farming in East Anglia East Anglia includes the counties of Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and the northern part of Essex. It is one of the most important arable farming regions in the UK mostly because of its physical advantages Arable farming in East Anglia is highly mechanised using combine harvesters and specialised machinery. It is also commercial (mostly the crops are cash crops sold for profits to the local mills who use it for food production for humans and animal feed). Sugar beet is produced in the UK and is sent to UK refineries such as silver spoon. Physical Factors There are a number of physical factors that makes arable farming in this area Relief: the land is very flat and is mostly 100m above sea level this makes it easy to use machinery and roads and railways have easily been constructed. Soils: mostly fertile boulder clays that were laid down during the last ice age are good for growing cereals, sugar beet and potatoes. Loam soils are good for growing vegetables, fruit and cereals and retain the plant foods and moisture. Climate: Rainfall is mostly in the region of 500-700mm per year. There are long warm summers with average temperatures of 17 degrees and long hours of sunshine in the summer which allow sufficient crop growth and the ability to ripen cereal crops. Human Factors Location: it is situated in the east of England to the North of London which means that it is close to a good market for the produce. There is a good motorway network to the most densely populated regions of the UK and also a good east coast railway line which means rapid transport of produce (this is important with perishable food stuff) Politics: Since joining the EU many of the farmers in East Anglia have benefited from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) as they have received subsidies for growing certain types of cereal crops such as wheat, oilseed rape and linseed. 4 Changes in UK Farming The Common Agricultural Policy: This was a policy brought in by the EU in 1962 with a number of aims: • It aimed to increase agricultural production in member countries. • It aimed to improve the standard of living experienced by farmers. • It aimed to maintain prices and supplies of food at a reasonable cost to the consumers. • Some of the methods that it used included subsidies and minimum pricing. Farmers were encouraged to produce as much as they could, and the EU guaranteed that it would buy it all. This led to huge surpluses in butter, milk, cereals and even wine. The CAP led to the following changes: 1. Improved Technology Machinery has taken over form manual labour on most farms. Although costly to buy, machines like tractors and combine harvesters save time and money in the long run. 2. Increased use of Chemicals Farmers have become more reliant on the use of chemical fertiliser and pesticides to improve the quality and quantity of their farm produce. 3. Increased Field Size The steady increase in the use and size of machines has brought with it a need for bigger fields so the machines can be used more efficiently. 4. Changes in land use Farmers now use their land in different ways. For example, the EU has encouraged farmers to grow crops such as oilseed rape in place of barley or oats. Environmental and Social Impacts of the CAP Loss of hedgerows and therefore a reduction in biodiversity Pollution from pesticides and fertilisers Soil erosion Increased mechanisation led to rural unemployment o People moved away from the area - rural depopulation o Local services like schools had to close Because of these problems the CAP was reformed in 1992 to incorporate the following changes. Quotas: In 1992 the Common Agricultural Policy was reformed and one of the main things that was brought in was quotas. These set a limit on how much one farmer could produce of a single product. Set aside land: To reduce overproduction, farmers are now offered grants to not grow crops on up to 20% of their land. Diversification: Due to the reform of the CAP, farmers have seen a rapid decline in their income. Many have had to diversify and seek income from other sources. Some have moved into the leisure industry and provide accommodation and facilities for visitors. 5 Recent issues in farming: Animal welfare: to increase yields, a ‘factory’ farming approach has been adopted by many pastoral farmers. This has led to controversy over animal welfare. Organic farming: as the public has become more aware of the use of chemicals in modern farming techniques, there has been an increased demand for more organic produce. Genetically modified crops: although not currently legal in the UK, many countries around the world now use GM crops to increase yield. This has led to a number of social and environmental problems. Question 3 Look at the diagram above. “Since 1945, 25% of UK hedgerows have been removed from farmland.” Describe the advantages and disadvantages of this change. 4 marks Question 4 Look at the diagrams on the next page. “The changes in farming since 1950 have brought more benefits than problems.” Do you agree fully with this statement? Give reasons for your answer. 5 marks 6 Question 5 Read the information to the right which highlights recent changes in farming. The sources of this farmer’s income have changed since 1980. Give reasons for these changes. 6 marks 7 Question 6 The sources of this farmer’s income have changed since 1980.