Agriculture in Britain

Although Britain is a densely populated industrial country relying on imports for half of its food supply, agriculture remains one of its largest and most important industries. It employs about one million people or 4 per cent of the labour force and provides about 5 per cent of the gross national product, using 48 million of the 60 million acres (a 0.4 hectare) of land.

The land in general is highly fertile, and current agricultural practices, founded upon an age-old tradition of good husbandry improved by the application of modern scientific methods, result in some of the world's finest pedigree livestock and a yield per acre of grain crop among the highest in the world.

In general, farms in Britain are run as businesses, each by a single manager, usually the farmer himself.

Types of farming vary with difference of soil and climate. In England and Wales out of total 29.8 million acres of agricultural land, 24.5 million acres are under crop and grass, the remainder being rough grazings. The chief crop is wheat followed by barley, oats, mixed corn and potatoes.

In Scotland out of total of over 15 million acres of agricultural land, 4.5 million acres are under crops and grass, the rest being rough grazings. The chief crop is oats; next come root crops for stock-feeding; potatoes, especially seed potatoes, and barley are also important crops. The wheat area is small.

Although the commoner vegetables and fruit are grown to some extent all over the country, there is a tendency for certain crops to be concentrated in specialized areas, e.g. carrots in Yorkshire, cherries in Kent, apples in Kent and Hereford, onions in the Fen district, early strawberries in Hampshire.

There are some 25, 000 smallholdings in the United Kingdom provided by county councils. The smallholdings are let only to people with practical experience in agriculture, preferably agricultural workers, with the object of affording them an opportunity to become farmers on their own account.

There are also rather more than one million allotments in Great Britain. Most of these are allotment gardens and about half are permanent statutory allotments provided by local authorities that have the duty to provide allotments, if practicable, where there is a need.

The growing of vegetables and fruit and the keeping of small livestock such as poultry, rabbits, bees, pigs and goats by gardeners and allotment-holders is wide-spread in Britain.

Voluntary organizations exist to provide advice, guidance and trading facilities and generally to assist persons interested in the movement. The National Council for Domestic Food Production, formed in 1951, co-ordinates the work of these organizations and encourages the development of domestic food production.

BRITAIN'S FORESTS

In prehistoric times, Britain was well-covered with trees. But as the population changed and grew, as agriculture developed and the need for timber increased, the forest areas gradually disappeared. The grazing of cattle and sheep prevented much natural regeneration of trees. However, some woodland areas enjoyed a royal protection because of the facilities they offered for game, hunting. Similar control was exercised by landowners. Some of these woodland areas as New Forest, Forest of Dean and Epping Forest, still exist with many of the old customs and laws still surviving.

Some landowners managed their estates well and responded to emergency calls, and it is thanks to them that we have these trees we do possess, and were able to face up to some of the demands for timber during the two great world wars.

So much home-grown timber was used in the First World War, that it was quite obvious that the growing of trees should no longer be left to individuals. There had to be a national policy. Accordingly, the Forestry Commission was set up in 1919. The Second World War once again made great demand for timber reserves because the effective blockade of the ports made the import of this bulky item a great problem.

But in spite of the two wars the Forestry Commission has now planted 1, 5 million acres of trees in the 500 forests of the country. The annual programme in recent years has been 100 million new trees planted each year. Of these, 90 percent are conifer trees because they are quick growing. The softwood they provide represents practically 90 per cent of our timber needs. The Forestry Commission, with their scientific and financial resources advise and assist private landowners who have between them 2, 5 million acres of woodland.

There is a number of forest schools which train the men who look after Britain's forests. A number of universities have specialist courses, which provide a steady flow of men who will occupy various positions both in State and private woodlands.

The target in the 1970s was to have 5 million acres of trees providing about one third of a national need of timber.

TOMORROW'S FARM

Agricultural research aims not only at increased quantity but at improved quality, not only at mass production, but at efficient production. Here are the most important changes that will take place on tomorrow's farm.

It will be a " factory farm" – very large, with still fewer workers than today. It will be even more highly automated than at present. The farmer will be able to produce food and other products with the quality wanted by consumers, at the times these products are needed, more or less independent of weather.

Plant height, rate of growth and date of ripeness¹ will be almost completely controllable. Crops will be changed in size and in other ways to make them easier to cultivate and harvest by machine.

Soil will be given uniform, required properties – physical, chemical and biological.

If the farmer lives in a dry area improved water management will increase his production. For instance, he will line² irrigation canals to prevent seepage³, cover ponds with chemical film to prevent evaporation. Improvements in the animals' food will result in producing better meat.

When the farmer's produce is ready for market, light absorption instruments will carry out control on its quality.

Notes and Commentary

¹ ripeness - дозрівання

² line - прокладати

³ seepage – втрата (води)