Abstract In this article, the writer discusses the industrial revolution and its effects on agriculture. The paper reviews the pre-industrial history of agriculture as well as the sweeping changes within the agricultural sector during the eventful period when the manufacturing sector was being transformed by a wave of technological innovation. The paper concludes by noting how inextricably linked are agricultural change and technological change.
Abstract This paper discusses the provincial government's Agricultural Land Commission and the policies it enforces on land use in British Columbia. It looks at how the scarcity of agricultural land and the importance of food self-sufficiency, combined with competing demands for farmland for non-farm uses, convinced the government that preserving farmland for agricultural purposes was a matter of provincial interest and importance.
From the Paper "Due to increased competition and the increasing demands of the contemporary consumer, the need for establishing sustainable industries that enhance quality of life is crucial when creating a thriving local business environment. However, in recent years business development has taken a back seat to environmental protectionism in part due to the lack of suitable land for agricultural and farm use. "
Abstract Perhaps no other industry is as dependent upon variables over which it has no control as the agricultural industry is. This paper produces a cross sectional comparison and contrast of three regions in British Columbia: Cariboo region, Peace River, and Kootenay. The paper highlights how climatic factors and soil composition factors impact upon the respective agricultural sectors of the aforementioned areas. In addition to illuminating how areas that are fairly close to one another geographically can still produce astonishing climatic and geological diversity the paper also reveals how primary industries like agriculture take on new shapes in different regions because of the physical feature of the land.
Abstract This paper deals with the issue of free trade in agricultural products versus protectionism that is one of the fiercest international economic debates. It discusses the arguments of the proponents of free trade who believe in opening the global market with as few restrictions on trade as possible and those of the proponents of protectionism who believe in concentrating on the welfare of the domestic farming community. The stage at which the talks over subsidies take place is the World Trade Organization ("WTO").
Paper Outline:
Introduction
The Economics of Agriculture Some Numbers
A Comparative Advantage of the Poor
The Reasons for Protectionism
The WTO and the Prisoner's Dilemma
From the Paper "However, why do the rich countries like those of the European Union as well as the US today still subsidize their farmers to the tune of billions of dollars a year? Beginning in the 1930s most industrialized countries developed agricultural price-support policies to reduce the volatility of prices for farm products and to increase, or at least stabilize, farm income. Subsequently, in food-exporting countries, such as the United States and France, agricultural subsidies have been designed primarily to increase farm income, either by raising the long-term level of prices above free-market levels or by providing direct payments to farmers."
Abstract This paper discusses the effect on agriculture on changes in fuel costs, the market economy, and technology. It notes how changes in the external environment have affected the way those in agriculture do business and so the prices charged at the market, adding to costs or reducing them, depending on the nature of the change and the way farmers are able to respond.
From the Paper "Agriculture is like any other sector of the economy and is affected by many of the same forces, including changes in fuel use and fuel prices, the market economy, and technology. The first of these forces is in the news now as agriculture has to raise its prices to cover higher fuel costs for farm machinery and for delivery costs. The nature of the economy affects agriculture by raising prices for other goods, which also can cause farmers to raise their prices to stay ahead of inflation. New technology can be both a capital expenditure to buy what is needed and a boon by increasing production and reducing costs over all. Such changes in the external environment have affected the way those in agriculture do business and so the prices charged at the market."
Abstract The agricultural industry represents a significant fraction of the overall Canadian economy in terms of both employment and most economic measures. However, as this essay shows, this is a sector of the economy that feels under considerable pressure and is in need of government assistance. The paper also demonstrates that government assistance can be supported by the ideology of capitalism and, in particular, the type of capitalism known as mercantilism that advocates government assistance to business to compete more strongly in the international marketplace.
Abstract While the Canadian agriculture industry may not have the prominence of other sectors of the Canadian economy, such as the automotive or aerospace industries, it remains a significant element of both the Canadian domestic and export sectors. This essay demonstrates that this industry is a not only a major employer, but its health and expansion are critical elements in Canada's global economic position.
A literature review explorin sustainable agriculture and food production and how applied geo-information science can be utilized to secure the future of agricultural production the world over.
Abstract This paper begins with a look at agricultural production systems, as well as methods in both developed and developing countries. The paper then explores some components of agriculture management and forecasting as well as food production, security, and early warning systems - and then looks at how geo-information science can improve upon the former by strengthening the latter two. Finally, the paper looks at some of the representative material available vis-a-vis applied geo-information science. A brief conclusion is then offered as to what the paper has ultimately uncovered.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Agricultural Production Systems/Method in both Developed and Developing Countries
Agriculture Management and Forecasting
Food Production and Early Warning Systems
Applied Geo-information Science and "Smart" Agriculture:
Food Security/Crop Yield
Improve Economy
Agricultural Planning using Soil Moisture Information
Precision Agriculture Overall Conclusion
From the Paper "Needless to say, precision agriculture may ultimately be the one thing standing between economic and social devastation and renewed hope for the future in many developing nations. Maohua reports that the Government of the People's Republic began aiming for precision agriculture shortly after Chairman Mao's death, and the results have been favorable. According to Maohua, the government's overarching aims are to develop a Chinese agricultural capacity able to feed 1.6 billion Chinese by the middle of the twenty-first century."
Abstract This paper explains that, in their haste to introduce market reforms and efficiencies into their antiquated agricultural systems, many emerging nations have sacrificed their environment and citizens' health in exchange for some well-intentioned but misguided short-term gains in productivity. The author points out that past agricultural practices were based on tradition and spiritual concepts; however, many emerging nations have succeeded in overcoming these constraints through innovative policies and initiatives. The paper stresses that modern western agricultural practices rely heavily on heavy and expensive equipment as well as industrial pesticides and fertilizers to wrench continued high yields from the soil are not readily transferable to many emerging nations.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Background and Overview
Existing Agricultural Practices in China Today
Innovative and Sustainable Agricultural Practices
Current and Future Trends
What Can Be Done?
Conclusion
From the Paper "Within rural sociology, sustainable agriculture is frequently considered to be a mutually exclusive "competing paradigm" that challenges conventional agriculture on environmental, economic and ideological grounds. As a result, much of the research on identifying sustainable agricultural practices has been focused on understanding the characteristics which differentiate conventional and alternative farmers, as well as the conditions that serve to constrain or facilitate the development of alternative practices and ways of thinking among farmers and agriculture more generally. For example, researchers have examined a variety of farmer and farm attributes such as age, education, orientation to risk, perception of environmental problems, farm size, and profitability; the impact of agricultural markets and prices and state policies, programs and services have also been examined extensively."
Abstract This paper describes precision agriculture. The author feels that precision agriculture may be the greatest development since the agricultural revolution. The paper then discusses how precision agriculture became possible and the technologies behind it. The author concludes that precision agriculture enables small farmers to survive in a market dominated by huge corporate farms.
From the Paper "Precision agriculture became possible through the development of Global positioning systems technology and as such technology has increased in accuracy and decreased in cost, as technology tends to do there has been a far-reaching effect. Though the price tag may still seem high the promise of precision agriculture far outweighs the initial output. "Normal civilian GPS receivers have a precision of about 100 yards. A system called differential GPS, which requires a local base station, can provide meter-level accuracy. At these accuracy levels, the technology has found widespread use in the nation's farmland, as part of a movement called precision agriculture. ("Satellite System Can Control")"
Abstract This paper explain the divergent patterns of agricultural productivity growth in France and England. The paper looks at different labor practices, preferences for rural over urban activity and the ability to engage in agriculture given what is provided by the country's geographical landscape. It uses these factors to explain the reasons behind the divergent path phenomena of agricultural productivity growth.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
1900 Agricultural Outlook: France versus England
Pre-1900s: An Early State of Equal Agricultural Activity
Agrarian Transformation and Industrialization
Conclusion
From the Paper "Meanwhile, England embraced industrialization and urbanization. In the early 1700s, England was far from such industrialization, and there was "little economic growth in Britain in the second half of the eighteenth century" (Mokyr 81-2). When the Industrial Revolution eventually did arrive in England, it did not represent, contrary to popular thought, "a macroeconomic event that led to a sudden acceleration of the rate of growth, although growth eventually became an inevitable corollary" (ibid 82). On the other hand, it represented more of a "wave of gadgets" sweeping over Britain post-1760, which allowed goods to be produced more efficiently and at a higher quality (ibid). It also represented, depending on one's opinion, either the trigger for raised living standards or the signaling of lowered living standards for England (Nardinelli). Agricultural growth was certainly part of this revolution. Many scholars cite one of the main features of the Industrial Revolution as a movement from inorganic to organic materials (E.A. Wrigley, 1987 cited in Mokyr 83). Other important developments were increases in using machinery as labor power, something agricultural England embraced as France selected to retain its human labor pool as its primary agricultural power source. While the French farmers worked on the crops and fields with hand tools, machines in England became commonplace agricultural tools (ibid)."
Abstract The paper provides statistics on agricultural production within Italy and reveals that the general trend of the Italian agricultural sector is that of stagnation, towards a decline. The paper looks at Italy's land quality and agricultural practices and discusses Italy's implementation of policies aimed to revive and strengthen the sector.
Outline:
Abstract
Agricultural Production
Land Quality
Agricultural Practices
Policies
Conclusions
From the Paper "Agriculture is one of the oldest activities undergone by the humans in order to sustain life. And it was the primary source of food and income for the majority of individuals across the globe. However, with the industrial and technological revolutions, more and more people begun to work within factories or corporations and less interest was given to agricultural activities. But even so, the technological developments were also adapted and integrated within the processes of growing animals and working the land, agriculture remaining the primary source of foods in the modern society."
Abstract Agriculture, once a means of survival in America, has now become an industry, which generates millions of dollars a year. Before agriculture, humankind relied on hunting, fishing, and gathering in the wild to survive. People were known as hunters and gatherers, but soon became farmers. Once farming was introduced, humans were able to become much more sedentary because they did not have to move from place to place looking for sustenance. This paper shows that, once human creativity was unleashed, Americans began to understand the magnitude of profit and livelihood that agriculture held. To understand the full magnitude of the agriculture commodity trade, this paper examines the history of the trade, the policies/programs affecting the trade, and the standards set for the trade before it can be sold.
From the Paper "As long as human beings are in need of food to survive, the agricultural commodity trade will exist. Agriculture today is a complex system of production, distribution, research, and marketing. People desire option and depend on other people as well as other nations to supply them with a variety of product. The United States has a stable position in the agricultural commodity trade and this will remain stable with the right programs and policies put into action. Technology has helped stabilize the agricultural commodity trade in America and other advanced countries. Threats of drought, under-production, and other natural disasters have been lowered. After learning about the history of the trade as well as the policies and programs affecting the trade, it is easy to conclude that it is important to the U.S. economy. Compliance with policies and programs will only help farmers remain in competition to become profitable."
Abstract The Canadian agricultural industry has lobbied the Canadian federal and provincial governments for a number of years for greater attention upon the needs of this industry. However, while all industries and their stakeholders lobby governments for assistance in various respects, the agricultural industry is unique for both the highly public nature of its lobbying and the consistency of issues upon which this sector is focused. This paper explains that the agricultural industry is one of the most significant industries in Canada and then discusses the Canadian agricultural industry's lobbying efforts.
Abstract In this article the writer outlines the main trends in agricultural produce in the three economies of Russia, India and Japan in the inter-war period. The writer discusses how far changes in output and prices affected the standard of living of the agricultural population and notes that, during the inter-war period (1914-39), Russia, Japan and India experienced similar but at times varied fluctuations in how much produce they cultivated agriculturally. Generally-speaking, Japan and India maintained outwardly stable, but far from spectacular levels of production, while Russia and later the Soviet Union witnessed greater disparities in what she produced for the commercial market. The writer concludes that what is clear from all three cases is the extent to which change in agricultural output and prices invariably failed to benefit the rural population - and, in the case of the Soviet Union, change in fact proved to be catastrophic.
From the Paper "When one takes the example of rice production - the main staple - as the chief indicator of agricultural output, with reference to Japan and India, and that of wheat production for Russia, one can observe the following. By 1914, Japan quickly reached production levels of 8.5 millions tonnes, levels that remained pretty much constant during subsequent years. Some twenty years later, in 1933, she reached a peak of 10.6 million tonnes, ending with a modest 10.3 million tonnes of rice in 1939. During the post-war era, India similarly witnessed marked increases in production. By 1914 she saw 42 million tonnes of rice harvested nationwide. But production proved erratic thereafter. During six of the following fifteen years output did exceed the 50 million tonne threshold; but the trend nevertheless was downwards, so that, by 1932, production dipped below the 40 million mark, only struggling to transcend this figure in two of the remaining seven years. What heavily contrasts with the case of India and Japan is that of Russia which witnessed not a levelling-off but a massive reduction in her wheat production following the First World War. By contrast to 28 million tonnes, which was recorded in 1913, the amount for 1921 plummeted to a mere 5.6 million tonnes. By 1925, however, production kicked back quickly to normal levels, with the Soviet Union reporting that 20.8 million tonnes of wheat had been harvested."
