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The upland landscapes study
Book reviews
119
participants, however, are important; and the results show that the organiser (the senior editor) on the whole must have made a good choice. E. H. Roberts
Sinclair, Geoffrey (Ed.). The UplandLandscapes Study. Environment Information Services, Narberth, Dyfed. 1983. 336pp. Price: £12.00. It is perhaps not fully appreciated how much the UK upland landscapes are fashioned by the multiple uses that are made of them. The main conclusion from this report is that changes in the uplands are leading towards greater uniformity with the consequent loss of scenic diversity and interest. These changes are partly attributed to the agricultural support system which does not necessarily support social, environmental or indeed the aesthetic needs. It was the appreciation of the irreversible changes that have been occurring in the uplands that caused the Countryside Commission to initiate this project. The field work lasted five years and was centred on I2 study areas considered representative of the upland regions of England and Wales from the Cheviots to Exmoor. The anxiety that the Countryside Commission must have in reconciling the various user interests, government agricultural policy and the increasingly vocal conservationist groups should not be underestimated. To reconcile these voices the report recommends the establishment of an Upland Development Agency and the final chapter describes the functions of this agency and how it should integrate the demands of the varied activities and interests in the uplands. The greatest problem will be of satisfying all parties in such a way that the upland landscapes retain their attractiveness and the economy is supported so that a social fabric is maintained. However, the system should not be so contrived that selected parts of the uplands become picturesque museums. Changes are inevitable and the landscape will reflect this. It would be the duty of an Upland Landscapes Agency to ensure that the varied scenic texture and certain landscape features are preserved, whilst accepting that certain artefacts will be of new materials which do not fit our current notions of traditional upland architecture. Inevitably, future trends will be towards more intensive agriculture, increased timber production and even coppicing. There must be upland areas where such investment would be
120
Book reviews
desirable and such developments should be encouraged by an agency that is in sympathy with all interests. One wonders how many planners and politicians will find the time to thoroughly read and digest the information presented in this report. Some of the 96 tables might well have made more impact if the data were expressed diagrammatically: over 100 landscape features are illustrated in black and white photographs which have not reproduced well. Despite these criticisms of presentation the report contains data which will be an objective basis for debates although it is important to remember that the data refer to the study areas only. This report has been summarised by the Countryside Commission and published under the title 'The Changing Uplands'. This latter publication might have a wider appeal than the original report. S. R. Gowen
Price, Barry L. The Political Economy of Mechanization in US Agriculture. Westview Press, Boulder, Colorado. (UK Distributor Bowker Publishing Co., Erasmus House, Epping, Essex CM16 4BU, UK.) Price: £13.00. The mechanisation of agricultural production, has proceeded unchecked in the Western world for some four decades in the USA and for about half that time in Europe. The effect, together with those of developments in plant breeding, the use of agricultural chemicals in many forms and a more scientific approach in general to farming, has been to achieve great increases in agricultural productivity and in the quantities of food produced. In a world in which many millions of people go short of food every day, such achievements have been widely applauded. During periods of general economic expansion the consequences of increased levels of agricultural mechanisation, in terms of replacement of human labour by machines, have attracted little notice. Since alternative employment for the majority of those no longer required for farm work could be found elsewhere, in an expansive situation, no great problems have arisen; and indeed the availability of such a labour resource has facilitated economic development in other spheres of activity. It is in only a small number of special cases that the effects of mechanisation have been so dramatic, both in conferring great apparent economic benefits on
119
participants, however, are important; and the results show that the organiser (the senior editor) on the whole must have made a good choice. E. H. Roberts
Sinclair, Geoffrey (Ed.). The UplandLandscapes Study. Environment Information Services, Narberth, Dyfed. 1983. 336pp. Price: £12.00. It is perhaps not fully appreciated how much the UK upland landscapes are fashioned by the multiple uses that are made of them. The main conclusion from this report is that changes in the uplands are leading towards greater uniformity with the consequent loss of scenic diversity and interest. These changes are partly attributed to the agricultural support system which does not necessarily support social, environmental or indeed the aesthetic needs. It was the appreciation of the irreversible changes that have been occurring in the uplands that caused the Countryside Commission to initiate this project. The field work lasted five years and was centred on I2 study areas considered representative of the upland regions of England and Wales from the Cheviots to Exmoor. The anxiety that the Countryside Commission must have in reconciling the various user interests, government agricultural policy and the increasingly vocal conservationist groups should not be underestimated. To reconcile these voices the report recommends the establishment of an Upland Development Agency and the final chapter describes the functions of this agency and how it should integrate the demands of the varied activities and interests in the uplands. The greatest problem will be of satisfying all parties in such a way that the upland landscapes retain their attractiveness and the economy is supported so that a social fabric is maintained. However, the system should not be so contrived that selected parts of the uplands become picturesque museums. Changes are inevitable and the landscape will reflect this. It would be the duty of an Upland Landscapes Agency to ensure that the varied scenic texture and certain landscape features are preserved, whilst accepting that certain artefacts will be of new materials which do not fit our current notions of traditional upland architecture. Inevitably, future trends will be towards more intensive agriculture, increased timber production and even coppicing. There must be upland areas where such investment would be
120
Book reviews
desirable and such developments should be encouraged by an agency that is in sympathy with all interests. One wonders how many planners and politicians will find the time to thoroughly read and digest the information presented in this report. Some of the 96 tables might well have made more impact if the data were expressed diagrammatically: over 100 landscape features are illustrated in black and white photographs which have not reproduced well. Despite these criticisms of presentation the report contains data which will be an objective basis for debates although it is important to remember that the data refer to the study areas only. This report has been summarised by the Countryside Commission and published under the title 'The Changing Uplands'. This latter publication might have a wider appeal than the original report. S. R. Gowen
Price, Barry L. The Political Economy of Mechanization in US Agriculture. Westview Press, Boulder, Colorado. (UK Distributor Bowker Publishing Co., Erasmus House, Epping, Essex CM16 4BU, UK.) Price: £13.00. The mechanisation of agricultural production, has proceeded unchecked in the Western world for some four decades in the USA and for about half that time in Europe. The effect, together with those of developments in plant breeding, the use of agricultural chemicals in many forms and a more scientific approach in general to farming, has been to achieve great increases in agricultural productivity and in the quantities of food produced. In a world in which many millions of people go short of food every day, such achievements have been widely applauded. During periods of general economic expansion the consequences of increased levels of agricultural mechanisation, in terms of replacement of human labour by machines, have attracted little notice. Since alternative employment for the majority of those no longer required for farm work could be found elsewhere, in an expansive situation, no great problems have arisen; and indeed the availability of such a labour resource has facilitated economic development in other spheres of activity. It is in only a small number of special cases that the effects of mechanisation have been so dramatic, both in conferring great apparent economic benefits on