Define the term agricultural productivity and describe how it varies between different parts of the world.
Agriculture Essay Define the term agricultural productivity and describe how it varies between different parts of the world. Agricultural productivity is the term given to the output of agriculture in terms of the inputs such as the capital and labour. Therefore as a fairly general comment, this could be defined as the efficiency of the farm. This varies in different parts of the world, and this can be put down mainly to the amount of capital the farm owner has. Although there are other factors involved a lot of them are dependent on the amount of capital available. For example in MEDCs such as the UK a lot of farms are owned by wealthy people who can afford to buy machinery. This enables the farm to run more efficiently as the processes on the farm can be completed at a quicker rate and therefore the labour efficiency becomes better as one person can perform more work in one day than if no machinery was available. This in turn then saves the employee money as less staff have to be hired so therefore the wage bill is lower. On the other hand in many LEDCs many farms are used to provide food for the family of the owner, and not primarily to create a profit (although this may occur during a good harvest). Therefore so long as the farmer has enough labour and land to grow enough food for his family he will not try to increase the productivity. This means that it is highly
Why is Africa the least economically developed continent in the World?
Why is Africa the Least Economically Developed Continent in the World? There are three main types of industry that people are employed in; Primary, Secondary and Tertiary. Primary industry involves the extraction or exploitation of natural resources e.g. Farming, fishing, mining and forestry. Secondary industry involves the manufacture of raw materials into saleable products, e.g. refineries, processors and manufacturing. Tertiary industry is the service sector, e.g. transport, sales and anything that offers anyone a service. The percentage of people employed in these different sectors can be used to suggest how developed a country is. If a country' main employment sector is Primary industry or subsistence farming the country is in Rostow's Stage 1 and is almost completely undeveloped. When a country begins to increase its Secondary and Tertiary sectors it is in Rostow's stage 2 and has begun to develop. Rostow's Stages carry on to stage 5 where the dominance of employment is in Tertiary Industry. To sum up Rostow's model, the higher percentage of people in a country employed in Primary industry, the less developed the country is, the higher the percentage of people employed in Tertiary industry the more developed it is. This map shows the spatial variations in Gross National Product (GNP) in the world, in the form of a North South divide. Continents with high GNP are North
The agricultural, industrial and international economic policies that were prevalent during the early periods of development hindered the growth of the developing countries.
By Oytun Pakcan The agricultural, industrial and international economic policies that were prevalent during the early periods of development hindered the growth of the developing countries. Extension, taxation and pricing policies used in agricultural policy, use of capital-intensive technology and import-substitution method as the dominant strategy of industrialization in industrial sector and the heavy external debt that was induced by the international economic policies at that time stifled the economic development and growth of the Third World countries. The model of economic development that was perceived by the economists of early development period resulted in the establishment of economic policies that concentrated only on per capital growth of GDP rather than the development of the rural and urban areas as well as the all sectors of the economy as a whole. This resulted in an artificial and temporary growth of few sectors of the economy while all the other remaining sectors were faced with severe poverty. During this period, agriculture was merely viewed as a source of surplus production that supported industrialization rather than a source of growth and employment. The agricultural policies of the early development period encouraged urban bias; and concentration on urban development, harsh agricultural policies geared towards agricultural sector and neglect of
The Future of the British Countryside.
THE FUTURE OF THE BRITISH COUNTRYSIDE Nick Everitt, December 2003 (1475 words) The Future of the British Countryside For centuries the British rural landscape has been dominated by agriculture, beginning with Neolithic man about five thousand years ago. Before then, most of Britain was covered with forest. Prior to the Bronze Age (about 1700 B.C.), what agriculture existed was 'slash and burn', with no permanent settlements. The Bronze Age saw the establishment of a more permanent field pattern. When the Romans arrived, bringing with them new species of flora and fauna such as pheasant and Castanea sativa (sweet chestnut), they began the drainage of the fens and British wetlands began to be lost. The Normans found, upon their arrival, that most large tracts of forest had been lost to agriculture and they set about restoring some forests in order to facilitate their enjoyment of hunting. By the Middle Ages, sheep farming had become extremely important, leading to the creation of large areas of open grassland for grazing and, ultimately, to gradual enclosure, culminating in the parliamentary enclosures of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries which brought heathlands under the plough. People lost land and common rights and workers were displaced from the countryside into towns to find work. It was the two World Wars that revived agriculture. Britain's supply lines
Soil Degradation in Canada
November 12, 2004 Research Paper, CT111 "Regional Landscapes in Context" Jon Munro Soil Degradation in Canada Soil has always played an important role in the development of mankind. It is used to grow the food we eat, provide the foundation for the buildings we live in, support plant life, and is a key part of cleansing the earth of pollutants. Human activity has disrupted soil formation and with population increasing the pressures we put on soil will undoubtedly rise as well. The Grand River watershed is an area which has experienced increased agriculture and urbanization in a fairly small time frame. Several environmental issues have emerged from the quick development of the region. This paper will focus on soil erosion, soil contamination, and salinization. Both the problem and possible solution will be examined. For years we have ignored the repercussions of human settlement and agriculture, now with the effects prevalent in our society we are taking notice and action, there is not time like the present to make a change. Historically, Canada was occupied by indigenous people whose lifestyle differed greatly from contemporary Western society. The Natives were primarily hunter gatherers who developed a deep and respectful connection with earth. Agriculture was adopted but was implemented in a way to let the earth regenerate itself by relocating crop fields annually.
What are the main characteristics of high-tech (high technology) industry? (b) Describe and explain the locational requirements of different types of manufacturing industry.
(a) What are the main characteristics of high-tech (high technology) industry? High-tech industries are more predominantly found as part of agglomeration economies, where they locate next to each other helping to link to other companies on site. The industry is mainly situated on sites that have room for further expansion so as the industry develops so can the size of firms. Therefore they are usually situated on Greenfield sites where there is more room for researchers for the industry. High-tech industries have to be easily accessed for both workers and for the imports and exports of goods. The techniques of this industry involve micro-electronics but can also include medical instruments, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals which all belong into the quaternary sector, demanding high inputs of information, expertise and research and development. They are footloose industries as they are not tied to their raw materials and therefore they can have a free choice of location. They mainly locate in areas of maximum profit e.g. the M4 and M11 corridors in England, where the different firms can exchange ideas and information. (b) Describe and explain the locational requirements of different types of manufacturing industry. India is a location which now meets the locational requirements of the car industry. Ford Company is now manufacturing in the Indian city of Madras. Its labour
with reference to 2 contrasting countries describe and explain differences in the energy mix
Energy sources can be divided into two catogories. One is the non-renewable sources, such as fossil fuels, the most commonly used in the globe. The other one is renewable sources including HEP, wind, solar and wave as well as many other forms. As we all know that the fossil fuels are finite resources, meaning that they will eventually run out. Also, the share of renewable enegy production is very low, which means this might not allow the demand to shift from fossil fuels that we currently rely on to renewable sources. This is currently becoming more and more concerning because not only has the demand risen dramatically due to population growth and aspiration of living in higher standards, but also that fact that global supply of oil, one of the most important energy sources may have reached its peak. Also, according to the BP reserves-to production ratio, the reseves will only last for another 40years. Many countries often struggle with securing energy sources needed for electricity generation as well as the increasing domestic demand and economical growth. It is clear that as a country becomes more developed, the greater amount of energy needed. The reasons behind these are the fact that they are producing more products from industry manufacturing and argriculture. There are other factors concerning the demands of a growing service sector, increased freight and general
The Cause of the Industrial Revolution
ASSIGNMENT 1 The Cause of the Industrial Revolution In discussing the main developments of the Industrial Revolution, we must first look at the Agricultural Revolution and the effects of enclosure as writes Peter Mathias a secondary source, "to be given identity, the concept (the Industrial Revolution) implies the onset of a fundamental change in the structure of an economy; a fundamental redeployment of resources away from agriculture" (Peter Mathias (1969,p2) The First Industrial Nation). The agricultural revolution was the precursor to the industrial revolution and began around 1650, with parliamentary enclosure acts dominating the period 1750 - 1830. Enclosure changed agriculture from an open field system, whereby the villagers would each farm on a strip of land to provide for their own requirements to a system of private land management of enclosed fields and individual landowners took over control of the land. The community no longer had communal rights to the land and had to look to the large landowner for their living. Enclosing the land brought benefits to agricultural productivity from new crop rotation and heavy manuring, but for the peasant farmers they were displaced of their land and forced to find work elsewhere. Farming became less labour intensive and the large farms contributed to a rural labour surplus. The Agricultural Revolution created wealthy
Major innovations in agriculture have always proved to be controversial. With reference to recent changes in agriculture evaluate the validity of this statement.
Major innovations in agriculture have always proved to be controversial. With reference to recent changes in agriculture evaluate the validity of this statement. Innovations in agriculture have rapidly changed the nature of agriculture in all parts of the world. Innovations such as irrigation projects, government schemes and use of mechanism and chemicals have proved to be controversial as there are always negative and positive affects in the area whether it is socially, environmentally and economically. The introduction of Green Revolution in developing countries such as India has transformed agriculture and led to significant increase in agricultural production between 1940s-1960s. The technological use of high yield variations (HYVs) or using seeds with superior genes created by scientist have helped to increase yield production and solved the problem of food shortages. Economically, the Green Revolution also created plenty of jobs not only for agricultural workers but also industrial workers by the creation of lateral facilities such as factories and hydro-electric power stations. Socially, India transformed itself from a starving nation to an exporter of food. This earned admiration for India in the comity of nations, especially in the Third World. However this has put many farmers in debt because they had to purchase HYVs seeds for every growing season, this
Changing Locational Factors of Manufacturing Industry In the 20th century the factors affecting the location of industry within the UK changed
. Changing Locational Factors of Manufacturing Industry In the 20th century the factors affecting the location of industry within the UK changed. This can be seen as a change from an emphasis on physical factors affecting the location of manufacturing industries, such as raw materials, to an emphasis on more human and economic factors, such as labour and transport. The growth of manufacturing in the UK began in the 18th and 19th centuries during the Industrial Revolution, making Great Britain one of the most industrialised countries in the world. However, into the 20th century Britain's greatly developed manufacturing industry steadily declined. There were many reasons for this de-industrialisation and it caused a change of emphasis from secondary industries (those involved in the manufacturing of goods) to quaternary industries (those involved with the manufacture of high-technology goods). These new, light industries used far fewer raw materials, than the old, heavy industries of the Industrial Revolution, and they had a much smaller reliance on bulky, heavy raw materials, such as coal. This meant that a resource-based location was not necessary as it was for the 19th century manufacturing industries, which were located close to their raw materials to prevent difficult and expensive transport. The new quaternary industries are therefore not locationally tied down