Geography Revision Mr. Bruen
1. ‘A farm operates as a system of inputs, processes and outputs’. Discuss this statement in reference to any farm you have studied.
A farm I studied I was Pat’s Farm in Co. Clare. It is a mixed farm which specialises in sheep and cattle. It operates as a system of inputs, processes and outputs.
The inputs on this farm are:
- Buying cattle and sheep at the markets
- Buying fertiliser and seeds for the farm
- Paying the vet to look after the animals
- Buying the machinery to maintain the farm
The daily tasks vary depending on the season, but an example of some of the processes on this farm are:
- Feeding the animals
- Milking the cows
- Shearing the sheep
- Lambing and calving in Spring
- Cutting the silage
Pat’s farm generates an income through the following outputs:
- Selling calves at the market
- Selling milk to dairy factories
- Selling lambs and cows to butchers
- Selling the sheep’s wool
2. Explain TWO reasons for the overexploitation of fish.
Fish are being overexploited because modern day fishers use nets that have small holes and are invisible to fish, so the juvenile fish can’t escape. Another reason for the overexploitation of fish is because trawlers have cold rooms that allow them to stay at sea for days.
3. Describe TWO measures that could be used to prevent the overexploitation of fish.
Fish overexploitation can be stopped because scientists have been researching the numbers of particular species of fish in the seas to see if the specie is endangered and therefore, keeping the more rare ones alive longer. Another measure could be that the mesh size of nets is fixed so that juvenile fish can escape.
4. With reference to any example you have studied, describe how irrigation is very important.
Irrigation is very important. The Aswan High Dam in Egypt, built in 1975, stores millions of tonnes of water in Lake Nasser. Water can be released throughout the year through canals and plastic piping which helps farmers grow several crops in succession. However, the Nile floodplain no longer floods annually as waters are stored in Lake Nasser. Fertile sediments therefore remain at the bottom of Lake Nasser and farmers have to buy expensive fertilisers.
5. Explain any TWO of the following:
Ditcher: Drains the bog.
Grader: Levels the surface of the bog.
Miller: Scrapes a top layer of peat loose.
Harrow: Rakes the top layer of the peat.
Ridger: Gathers peat in long ridges which are covered in plastic.