Changes in Rural Environments

Whether they are in MEDCs (more economically developed countries) or LEDCs (lesser economically developed countries), rural populations are subject to constant change. The push-pull factors that are in operation are why there are such great changes in rural environments. Push factors are things which are disadvantageous to rural life, i.e. they push people to move to the city. Pull factors are exciting things or opportunities in the city which pull people into urban areas. It’s not all one way though; there is clear evidence for return migration, with people coming back to attractive rural areas which are in easy commuting distance to the job opportunities in the urban areas. Sustainable rural changes will be discussed in a later blog.

Changes in MEDCs

• Job losses - due to mechanisation of the agricultural industry, there are less people needed to run the country’s farms. The importation of food from elsewhere around the world has also decreased the demand from our rural areas, thus minimising jobs.
• House price increases - Rural areas, such as National Parks, are in high demand as second homes and due to building restrictions the houses are in short supply. Hence, prices increase with demand and second home owners push the local people out of the price bracket.
• New homes - Within the rural areas there is a shortage of suitable homes. Brownfield sites are more expensive to build on than Greenfield sites.
• Competition from abroad - As mentioned previously, the importation of food has a big effect on rural areas in MEDCs. It is now more common to see fruit and veg that come from somewhere like Morocco or Spain in our supermarkets than from the UK. The example BBC Bitesize gives is lamb, which can be imported from New Zealand, at competitive prices to UK Lamb. This lack of income from farming means that farmers are forced to turning to tourism to bring in income. This can be in the form of accommodation or “pick your own” farming. This is very seasonal income.
• Rural depopulation - In the remotest of rural areas there is a declining population, which means lack of services, jobs and social life for young people. This becomes a major push factor for young people moving to the urban areas.
• Decline in services - as mentioned above, depopulation in rural areas leads to a decline in services. The local stores and post offices become less profitable and bus services may be cut which leads to the elderly being cut off, relying on the depleting local stores.

Cycle of decline in MEDC rural areas can be seen as follows:

Changes in LEDCs

In LEDCs the majority of the population live in rural areas. The land in rural LEDCs is used for agriculture to feed those in the rural areas and in the towns.

Rural push factors, such as low wages, and urban pull factors, such as better jobs, cause rural to urban migration. This is most common among young men. This is positive in that there is money sent home, which is used to pay for school fees and to buy more livestock, but it has a negative impact on those left behind. Young females have to struggle with the heavy lifting that the young men used to do and the children may be forced to work instead of go to school.

The changes:

• Subsistence farming to cash crops - this is one of the most drastic changes to rural areas in LEDCs. Land which was previously being used for farming just to produce food for the locals, is then turned into cash crops (crops for commercial profit). This is good as it provides more jobs for locals and is a greater source of income. The negatives of this are that there is less food to feed the locals; ecosystems may be damaged should techniques such as slash and burn be implemented; the rates of soil erosion increase; fertilizer may contaminate the local water supply and the water supply may be used up on the cash crops, leaving little for the locals.
• Population increase - the rate of natural increase is high on many rural areas. This puts pressure on food supply, pushing people into the urban areas. If they stay in the local areas the lack of food will lead to malnutrition and starvation.
• Hazards and diseases - AIDS and other epidemics lower the death rate. This means that there are fewer adults to work on the farms and so the pressure is put on young people to provide.
• Environmental degradation - The more the land is used the more the land becomes ruined and bad for growing crops. This is done by the processes of desertification and degradation.
• Globalisation of tourism - Some rural areas attract tourists, one such area is the Maasai Mara in Kenya. This sort of tourism is good in that it brings money to the area and improves the local infrastructures. The issues arise when the money does not actually go back into the local economy.

The LEDC circle of decline:

Glossary

Brownfield sites - unused or derelict land which has been built on before.

Greenfield sites - land which has never been built on before.

References

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/

Nagle, G, 2001. Advanced Geography. Oxford University Press.