Agriculture Paris Basin

Introduction:
1. The region that I have studied is the Paris Basin in France.
Physical factors and human factors have influenced the
development of agriculture in this region.
2. A region is an area of the earths surface that has one or more
characteristics, be they physical or socio-economic, which
distinguish it from other areas.

Physical Factors:
1. The Paris Basin has a long growing season with a damp
spring that encourages growth and summer temperatures of
about 20C, ideal for the ripening and harvesting of cereals.
2. Normandy has a damp climate because of its proximity to the
Atlantic and with these damp conditions accelerating grass
growth, the region is ideal for dairy farming.
3. The Paris Basin is well drained with most of the region being
covered in permeable sedimentary rock and with the many
tributaries of the Seine and the Loire also providing drainage.
4. The limestone bedrock of Normandy is also ideal for Frances
bloodstock industry with horses developing a strong bone
structure because of the calcium-rich soil.
5. Beauce is devoted to cereal production and because it is
located in the flat landscape of the Ile de France, large farms
have been able to be made fully mechanised, meaning output
per hectare is among the highest in the EU.
6. The Paris Basin has extremely fertile soils with most of the
region being covered in the fertile and stoneless Limon soil
and with the floodplains of the Seine and the Loire being rich
in alluvium.
7. Brie is composed of heavy fertile soils, which make ideal
grassland, and has become the dairy district of France due to
the high milk yields of the regions dairy herds.

Human Factors:
1. The Parisian farmers have access to a very large and wealthy
market of 22 million consumers, within the 300km of the
basin.
2. As Paris Citys market is highly urbanised, there is a high
demand for fresh milk, bread and vegetables, which has
resulted in horticulture and milk production developing by
the citys edge.
3. The high quality of the SNCF rail network, centralised in
Paris, means agricultural produce can also be sold in the other
wealthy markets that exist nearby in the London-Milan axis at
minimal cost.
4. The French Autoroute is the seventh largest motorway in
the world and with its network totalling at 12,000 km,
transport costs are low for farmers who supply their
agricultural produce to food processing industries in other
French cities.
5. The inland port of Paris has direct access to the Atlantic
Ocean through the port of Le Havre and this has meant that
wheat has been able to be cheaply exported from the Paris
Basin to the Middle East and Eastern Asia.
6. Farmers in the Paris Basin heavily invest in modern farming
machinery and other inputs such as high-quality seed,
fertilisers and chemicals have led to high crop yields.