Primary Economic activities in the GDA SRP Flashcards
Introduction
Primary economic activities refer to the extraction of natural resources from the earth to be used by humans. For example coal mining for energy or fishing.
What is in the GDA
In the GDA primary economic activities provide a small population of people with jobs. It is a core region including Dublin, Wicklow, Meath and Kildare. There are physical and human factors affecting these activities
Land being appropriate for farming
The low lying relief allows farmers to have large, rectangular fields suitable for mechanised farming. This allows the machinery to work better as the land is not on high or slope.
Dublin Wicklow Mnts, sheep
The upland area is in the Dublin/Wicklow Mountains. The undulated topography allows for sheep to graze as they have hooves suitable for this relief
Climate (cool temperate oceanic)
The climate of the GDA is cool temperate oceanic. The North Atlantic drift regulates the temperature keeping it warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. The average temperature in winter is 4-8 degrees and in summer 16-20 degrees
Tillage farming, climate
This helps tillage farming as there is a longer growing season. The GDA experiences more sunshine and less rainfall than the west of Ireland, causing soils to be more fertile
Soil
The primary soil is Brown Earth. In North County Dublin there are sandy soils used for market gardening. Market gardening is the growing of vegetables in greenhouses or fields
Boulder clay
County Meath has fertile boulder clay for Arable farming. During the last Ice Age sands and boulder clay was deposited creating fertile soil, supporting good quality grassland.
Cattle and Barley/wheat Farming
In Kildare there is a huge market in cattle farming. Kildare also produces a lot of Barley and Wheat. The GDA produces 11% of the national wheat crop. Barely is used for animal feed and the brewing industry
Forestry in Wicklow Mountains
The relief has influenced forestry. The Wicklow Mountains rise over 1000m, these slopes and high altitudes are a disadvantage for arable farming causing the forestry industry to strive in Wicklow
Selling to Dublin
The GDA has a large population with Dublin as the largest market. This helps the development of commercial agriculture as farmers can sell their products to consumers in the GDA
Food processing industry
The GDA has a huge food processing industry relying heavily on the agriculture industry providing a constant market. For example companies such as Jacobs and Guinness have encouraged grain production.
Well educated work force
There is a well developed region and well educated workforce. The age profile for farmers is much lower than the west as the GDA doesn’t suffer from outward migration. These farmers tend to have market-orientated approaches to agriculture
Howth-fishing
Howth is the main fishing port in the GDA and the 3rd largest fishing port in Ireland. However fishing has been declining due to overfishing in the Irish Sea
Dublin ports struggling
Dublin ports have been struggling to compete with upgraded western ports. Large scale aquaculture is limited in the region as the Irish Sea is more polluted than the Atlantic ocean
