Economic and Political influences on agriculture Flashcards
What can influence the food and methods of agriculture?
Economy
Politics
What is an example of where food production has changed?
the changes to food production in Europe since the second world war (1945)
what happened to food production in Europe after the world war?
Europe couldn’t produce enough to feed everyone
What would have happened to Europe without a major change to food availability?
there would be serious food shortages maybe even famine and social and political problems
What helped reduce the food availability problems in Europe?
Food Aid from the USA
What could farmers not afford to do in Europe after the war?
couldn’t afford to invest in more productive methods
weren’t sure if they would be able to pay back loans they would need to take out
What allowed farmers to invest in more productive methods after the war?
GRANTS were made available so farmers could get financial assistance for a wide range of projects to increase food production
What projects were the post-war grants used for?
hedgerow removal to increase field size
purchase of machinery
drainage of wet fields
improved livestock
liming to neutralise acidic soils
What were the impacts of the grants given?
Increased food production
Environmental impacts: hedgerow and wetland removal
What problem did increasing production of farms lead to?
output might exceed demand meaning market price would drop and farmers would lose money despite high yield
What was done to reduce the drop in market price of agricultural goods?
greater financial security was given to farmers by providing a ‘guaranteed market’ with price support system
What would happen if there was a surplus harvest?
The government would buy some of the harvest from farmers to create an artificial shortage and raise price to an agreed level earlier in the year
What would the government do to the surplus harvest when bought?
if possible it would be stored (grain, milk power, cheese and meat)
What would happen to surplus that could not be stored?
was often destroyed
(fruit and vegetables)
What would happen if there was a poor harvest?
shortages in supply could have caused prices to rise
Government could use stored foods
What would the government do to prevent a rise in the price of food?
they would sell just enough food that had been stored from previous years to bring the market price down to agreed level
What was the aim of the Guaranteed market?
create a more financially stability for farmers and consumers and help raise food production
What had happened to food production by the 1970’S?
it had increased to the level where there were more surpluses than shortages in MEDCs
what was the problem with farmers continuing to grow more foods?
the government would keep having to buy there produce because of guaranteed market but it couldn’t be sold due to lack of poor harvests
What problem did the government have with trying to sell surpluses?
finding alternative markets due to competition with other food exporters or lack of consumers to buy product
Why could the surpluses not be sold to other MEDCs?
as they had produced surpluses too
What are some examples of MEDCs?
UK
USA
Canada
Australia
Why couldn’t surpluses be sent to Japan?
as they already imported food from established suppliers like the USA and Australia
What countries needed to food but could not afford the price?
Eastern Europe and the USSR
Why couldn’t food surpluses be sold in LEDCs?
as it would undercut local producers, put them out of business and reduce long term food production
What was the only real solution to surpluses?
avoid making them but this involves big changes to agricultural support by EU and governments
What are the ways Governments could reduce surpluses?
Quotas
Farm diversification
Alternative crops and livestock
set-aside
Agri-environmental schemes
What are quotas?
farmers are given limits on what they are allowed to produce
What is an example of quotas? (Milk)
Dairy farmers are given a limit on the amount of milk they can sell
What is farm diversification?
when farmers encouraged to concentrate les on products being over produced and more on new products and non-production activities
What non-food production activities were bought about by farm diversification?
recreation
public visits (to work on farms)
specialised dairy production (cheese and ice cream)
What are alternative crops and livestock? (General)
biofuels and pharmaceutical crops
What are some examples of alternative crops and livestock?
poppies
llamas
bees for honey
deer
What is Set-aside?
farmers of crops in surplus have been paid for taking farmland out of production and keeping it in a condition where it could be farmed if needed
What are agri-environmental schemes?
range of schemes have given farmers a contribution to their income for farming in ways that benefit the environment
What are some examples of agri-environmental schemes?
Environmentally sensitive areas
Countryside stewardship scheme
environmental stewardship scheme
Countryside stewardship
What features may be covered under agri-environment schemes?
Hedgerows
Ditches
Dry stone walls
Trees
Beetle bank
Livestock density
planting
Nesting plots
woodland planting and management
What are the requirements for hedgerows under agri-environment schemes?
Must be at least 1.5m tall
No fertilisers or pesticides applied within 2m
at least 2 yr interval between cutting
no cutting down during bird breeding season
What are the requirements for ditches under agri-environment schemes?
No cultivation within 2m
No fertilisers or pesticides applied within 1m of bank top
May only be cleared once in 5yr period
What are the requirements for dry stone walls under agri-environment schemes?
Protection of dry stone walls
What are the requirements for Trees under agri-environment schemes?
Conservation of in-field trees
What are the requirements for Beetle banks under agri-environment schemes?
at least 2m wide
sown with tussock grasses (timothy)
What are the requirements for livestock density under agri-environment schemes?
control of livestock stocking density
What are the requirements for planting under agri-environment schemes?
planting selected plants for nectar and seeds
What are the requirements for nesting plots under agri-environment schemes?
provision of skylark nesting plots in fields
What are the requirements for woodland planting and management under agri-environment schemes?
Rhododendron control
removal of diseased trees (ash trees with Chalara die back)
What is the purpose of protecting hedgerows with agri-environment schemes?
maintain habitats for birds and insects
restore traditional patchwork fields
What is the purpose of protecting ditches with agri-environment schemes?
farmland ditches are an important habitat for many wetland invertebrate and plant species
What is the purpose of protecting dry stone walls with agri-environment schemes?
important as landscape features and for stock management
What is the purpose of protecting trees with agri-environment schemes?
conserve soil, energy, water, wildlife and atmosphere
protect ancient indigenous trees
What is the purpose of protecting beetle banks with agri-environment schemes?
provide habitat for natural pest predator
What is the purpose of protecting livestock density with agri-environment schemes?
reduce soil compaction
What is the purpose of protecting planting with agri-environment schemes? (2 examples)
supporting pollinating insects
provide winter food for seed eating birds
What is the purpose of protecting nesting plots with agri-environment schemes?
to maintain and increase skylark population
What is the purpose of protecting woodland planting and management with agri-environment schemes?
reduce non-indigenous trees
ensure healthy and sustainable woodlands
What is the main aim of agri-environmental schemes?
restore landscapes while allowing the continuation of agriculture
