Posted: September 13th, 2017

intensive farming and its effects

Look at the sources below. They give information about intensive farming and its effects. Source A Agricultural employment in the UK

800 000 750 000 Number of workers 700 000 650 000 600 000 550 000 500 000 1985 1990 1995 Year 2000 2005

Changes in the numbers of farmland birds in Scotland and the UK (1970 – 1990) Goldfinch Lapwing Linnet Whitethroat Yellow Wagtail Yellowhammer Stock Dove Reed Bunting Grey Partridge Tree

Sparrow Barn Owl Corn Bunting Corncrake –100 –80 –60 –40 –20 0 +20 +40 Rest of UK Scotland

Percentage change [0580/403] Page two

1.

(continued) Source B More food, cheaper food

Modern intensive agriculture in the UK started in the 1940s. Farmers got large subsidies from the government, at huge cost to the taxpayer. This resulted in a rapid increase in the use of

artificial fertilisers and chemical pesticides. Increasing farm mechanisation led to the removal of hundreds of miles of hedgerows and dykes which formed the old field boundaries. It also led to

problems in disposing of the huge surpluses of grain and milk which had been created. Since then, the average crop yield has increased by more than fifty percent. The consumer has cheaper

food than ever before and its quality is more consistent and arguably better. Eggs are cheap and chicken, once regarded as a luxury, is an everyday food. In the last thirty years, the share of

the average household’s budget spent on food has fallen from twenty percent to nine percent. This is not just because food is cheaper. People are much better off.

Source C

Weeds and wildlife

Arable (crop) land occupies nearly 30% of Britain’s surface. Arable farmers have always had to deal with difficult weather, poor soils and often steep slopes. Perhaps the greatest challenge

though, was the battle with the many “weeds” in the crops. Weeds still cause major crop losses, and some arable farmers wonder whether it is worth conserving any wild plants on arable land.

Until recently, only a few botanists worried about the disappearance of these plants. This has changed now that familiar plants such as Cornflower, Poppy, Pansy and Corn Marigold have become

very rare. Arable land has a reputation for being a desert for wildlife. However, if hedgerows are kept, they create a rich habitat for plants, animals and birds.

QUESTIONS;

(a) Using all the sources, summarise the effects of intensive farming on the environment.

(b) Using the sources, describe the social and economic effects of intensive farming.

(c) Organic farming is an alternative to intensive farming. From your own knowledge, describe the advantages and disadvantages of organic farming for the consumer and the environment.

(d) In recent years it has become more difficult for farmers to make a profit. Many have had to find other ways of making money from their land without farming. From your own knowledge,

describe in detail some of these other ways of making money. 4 6 4 6 KU EV

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