Explain how any two of the following influence the development of agriculture in an Irish region that you have studied.
The Irish region that I will discuss in this answer is the Dublin Region. This is a core region, that is densely populated and has well-developed urban-based economies. In this answer I will focus on how Relief & Soils and Climate influence agriculture in the Dublin region.
The Dublin region consists of mainly lowland, with the Dublin mountains to the south. These lowland areas make the region ideal for a variety of intensive commercial and highly mechanised agriculture. Although the Dublin region only has 1% of the farms in Ireland, these are important to the economy and farm incomes in the region are 40% higher than the national average.The area has good drainage, due to the permeable limestone bedrock and is also drained by many rivers. These free draining soils are ideal for market gardening and horticulture, which are some of the most productive types of agriculture in the region. These free draining light and sandy soils are found in profitable market-gardening areas such as Rush and Lusk in North Dublin. In these areas salad crops are grown in greenhouses, while potatoes, cabbage and onions are grown in large fields.
Brown earths are the main soil type found in the Dublin region. These are deep fertile soils that are easily cultivated and therefore very suitable for productive agriculture. The soils produce high yields of tillage crops such as wheat and barley. The demand for these crops is high, barley is used in the brewing and animal feed industries and wheat is a vital raw material for bakeries serving the large urban population. The region is also covered in fertile alluvial soil deposited by the rivers flowing through the region.
The climate of the Dublin region is cool temperate oceanic. Generally temperatures are mild and the region tends to receive less rainfall than other parts of the country. This has a very positive impact on the development of agriculture in the region. The climatic conditions support the growth of high yield tillage crops and market gardening. Long hours of sunshine and low rainfall levels reduce the risk of potato blight, these ideal growing conditions, fertile soils and the proximity to a large urban market are the reason why 15% of the national potato crop is grown in the Dublin region.
In the Dublin region due to the climatic conditions mentioned above the growing season is 270 days. This means that crops, for example strawberries, ripen earlier and can be produced later into the season, which leads to a plentiful supply for the local market and a boost to the Irish economy, lessening the demand for imported crops. Due to the coastal location of the region, frost also has less impact therefore prolonging the growing season and increasing crop yields. This also means that certain vegetable and salad crops can grow without the use of greenhouses, this lowers production costs, therefore making this type of agriculture very profitable.
The physical factors discussed in this answer greatly contribute to the successful and profitable nature of agriculture in the Dublin region. Although primary economic activities only account for a small number of jobs in the region, incomes are high. There are also many human factors that support the development of agriculture in the region, such as good transport links and a large urban market.
- Relief & Soils
- Climate
- EU Policies
- Markets
The Irish region that I will discuss in this answer is the Dublin Region. This is a core region, that is densely populated and has well-developed urban-based economies. In this answer I will focus on how Relief & Soils and Climate influence agriculture in the Dublin region.
The Dublin region consists of mainly lowland, with the Dublin mountains to the south. These lowland areas make the region ideal for a variety of intensive commercial and highly mechanised agriculture. Although the Dublin region only has 1% of the farms in Ireland, these are important to the economy and farm incomes in the region are 40% higher than the national average.The area has good drainage, due to the permeable limestone bedrock and is also drained by many rivers. These free draining soils are ideal for market gardening and horticulture, which are some of the most productive types of agriculture in the region. These free draining light and sandy soils are found in profitable market-gardening areas such as Rush and Lusk in North Dublin. In these areas salad crops are grown in greenhouses, while potatoes, cabbage and onions are grown in large fields.
Brown earths are the main soil type found in the Dublin region. These are deep fertile soils that are easily cultivated and therefore very suitable for productive agriculture. The soils produce high yields of tillage crops such as wheat and barley. The demand for these crops is high, barley is used in the brewing and animal feed industries and wheat is a vital raw material for bakeries serving the large urban population. The region is also covered in fertile alluvial soil deposited by the rivers flowing through the region.
The climate of the Dublin region is cool temperate oceanic. Generally temperatures are mild and the region tends to receive less rainfall than other parts of the country. This has a very positive impact on the development of agriculture in the region. The climatic conditions support the growth of high yield tillage crops and market gardening. Long hours of sunshine and low rainfall levels reduce the risk of potato blight, these ideal growing conditions, fertile soils and the proximity to a large urban market are the reason why 15% of the national potato crop is grown in the Dublin region.
In the Dublin region due to the climatic conditions mentioned above the growing season is 270 days. This means that crops, for example strawberries, ripen earlier and can be produced later into the season, which leads to a plentiful supply for the local market and a boost to the Irish economy, lessening the demand for imported crops. Due to the coastal location of the region, frost also has less impact therefore prolonging the growing season and increasing crop yields. This also means that certain vegetable and salad crops can grow without the use of greenhouses, this lowers production costs, therefore making this type of agriculture very profitable.
The physical factors discussed in this answer greatly contribute to the successful and profitable nature of agriculture in the Dublin region. Although primary economic activities only account for a small number of jobs in the region, incomes are high. There are also many human factors that support the development of agriculture in the region, such as good transport links and a large urban market.
