Agricultural Systems PDF

**Agricultural Systems** To obtain food humans use and modify the ecosystems through farming. A farm is an area of land and its buildings where crops are grown and/or livestock are kept. The farms can be categorized as, - Arable farms where crops are grown. eg. Wheat and barley - Pastoral far...

**Agricultural Systems** To obtain food humans use and modify the ecosystems through farming. A farm is an area of land and its buildings where crops are grown and/or livestock are kept. The farms can be categorized as, - Arable farms where crops are grown. eg. Wheat and barley - Pastoral farms where animals are raised. Cattle and/ or sheep - Mixed farms where crops are grown and animals are kept. - Market gardens where fruits, vegetables and flowers are grown. Farming is the primary sector of economy. A farm is usually run as a business. It is organized to make a profit from what it sells, so the farmer can earn a living. This is called Commercial farming. Where a farmer is only growing enough to feed their family, this is called Subsistence farming. #### **Farm as an economic system** - All farms are systems, they have inputs, processes and outputs s6cwbSN\_farming-system #### **Impacts of farming systems** All farming systems impact the ecosystem in which they are located. Some have more impact than others, such as: - **Ecosystem diversity**: Monocultures can reduce diversity by limiting the range of food available to animals.  - **Nutrient cycling**: Fertilizers, whether natural or artificial, can be used to cycle nutrients in the soil.  - **Ecosystem modification**: The use of machines, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides can modify the ecosystem.  - **Food webs**: Farming systems can reduce food webs.  - **Biomass**: Farming systems can reduce the amount of biomass.  - **Soil erosion**: Agriculture can cause soil erosion.  - **Desertification**: Agriculture can contribute to desertification.  - **Habitat loss**: Agriculture can lead to the loss of habitats.  - **Salinization**: Agriculture can cause salinization.  **Five Factors for finding the right site of for an industry** 1. Cost - included are the costs of buying or leasing land, office equipment, communications, wages, training, taxes and IT infrastructure. 2. Capacity of the workforce -- availability of local labour with the right skill set for the needs of the type of industry 3. Capability of the region -- ideally the raw materials for the industry can be found here. Also, there are good and reliable road and rail networks in the region for transporting in raw materials and taking out the finished product. 4. Culture of the region -- ability of the location to attract talented workforce, government policies support the development of the industries, and quality of life of the region, including the standard of living. 5. Customers -- to be close to the market for the product is essential. **Why did Nissan locate in the UK?** Manufacturing in the UK has declined with growth in tertiary and quaternary sectors. The main reasons are, - New technologies such as robots replacing people in modern industry. - Competition from other countries such as China which can produce goods cheaper as labour is less expensive. **Nissan's location requirements in Sunderland** 1. A skilled workforce -- Sunderland had a long tradition in manufacturing. The skilled labour was readily available. 2. Good transport and communication network -- Sunderland has good road and rail links with all major UK cities. This allows Nissan to transport cars to Europe, as well as bring in parts to assemble the cars in the factory. 3. UK Government Support -- Nissan was given a grant and other financial incentives of £ 40 million. 4. Large flat plot of land with room to expand -- A 300-acre disused airfield was given to Nissan for development. Nissan built a bigger factory, a car test track with wind turbines that provide them with power needs.