For a number of years I have made it my vocation to persuade students not to undertake Ph.D.'s, highlighting the negative aspects such as beginning with a full head of hair, chest out and stomach like a drum. Four years later they are reduced to receding hairline, chest concave and stomach hanging over the belt this last state is often termed “a drinkers pot”. To achieve this stage of living I've been informed that one must be dedicated to consuming copious amounts of alcohol, curries and chips or food of any nature the quality of the latter is not important.
For some unknown reason I have decided to undertake Ph.D. Before anyone reaches for the phone to contact his/her legal advisers to discuss the possibility of suing, forget it. I lay this lapse in judgement at the doors of the makers of a certain drink from Scotland and Ireland. Before the question is raised no! It was not the blended muck but the single malt (damn fine stuff).
What is the title of this piece of research?
My initial aim was to do a piece of research that would make a contribution to academia and benefit mankind. Big bang and the creation of the universe, unravel the entire human DNA complex or even what does BA geographers do after University? I hear you ask. Hell! nothing that simple, the first thought to establish itself into a small recess of my mind was something along the lines of “The understanding of the functioning/working of the female mind”. My intention was to find a solution to this labyrinth whose sole purpose since time began is to confuse the male members of the species. This episode of insanity lasted less than ten seconds, when I remembered past encounters with a five year old with hands on waist and taping her feet every now and again, watching as her father did as she wanted. Furthermore no sooner had her father seem to get an understanding of the rules before they were changed. No! I wasn't ready for this quantity of stress so I settled for something less complicated. The title is as follows:
Anyone wondering where does the geographical component enter into this sphere, my reply is,
Whenever a time/space element is involved, geography is a central feature. Without geography
to determine location we would all lost in some black hole. Although I have it on good grounds that
asking a geographer to navigate in a car often produce a similar state particularly if that persons initials
are AGDT and had partake in several beers prior to giving directions.
The cynics among you might interpret my research as an excuse for justifying listening to jazz, visiting clubs and going abroad to do the same thing but also enjoying the hospitalities offered. I would like to assure this sector that I intend to put my body on the line with the aim of broadening our knowledge in my area of study. I would like to plead for some understanding for my situation; it is with a heavy heart that I would go into the unknown, visiting clubs and any places partaking of the offerings set before me pleasurable though they might be. Thus what I do I do for the love of my art?
Those wondering what is the relationship between jazz and geography, there are a number of answers some more interesting than others. Those of an official and academic flavour would be.
(Equation 1) Frank + women = skint, sober and lack of jazz (one messed up dude).
(Equation 2) Frank – women = more money to spend on whisky and records (state of bliss).
Guys, need I say more on the subject?
During those halcyon days of yester-year when we were young, carefree (well some of us) and had full heads of hair, one of the geography options was natural resources. Looking for something non to taxing I decided this is an area in which I could excel (I should explain that this was an area of interest and one of the main reasons for my eagerness in choosing that option). Within a short period I was engrossed in natural resources and developing/third world countries, the most interesting area was that relating to agricultural production or lack of it depending on individual perception.
The spate of famine witnessed in some parts of the African continent during the mid-1980s was followed by an increase in published literature relating to the possible causes for this occurrence. Reflecting on the subject two things came to mind. First, famine is not new to the countries of Africa. Second, two decades earlier if the question “which area would suffer the next outbreak of famine”? Was asked, the likely answer would have been the Indian sub-continent.
Many were the hours spent in the Edward Boyle reading about agriculture in arid areas of the world and in particular the research work undertaken in Israel relating to ancient desert systems. Sad though this might sound but I enjoyed myself, here was an area of interest and one that deserved to be studied in depth. Unfortunately, circumstances determined that I couldn't do this and so I decided to look at sustainable agricultural methods in Britain. Organic agricultural methods in Britain, not as exotic as ancient desert agriculture systems of the Negev and their relevance to development in present arid zones of the world.
This thesis is an investigation of the organic method of agricultural production, its merits and present extent of practice in Britain.
The research was undertaken in two parts: firstly a review of agricultural practices and policies and secondly a discussion of the organic sector. The aims and structure of the thesis are given in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 consists of discussions, which introduce the researcher to the different methods of agriculture and their concepts and their probable effects on the environment. In Chapter 3, attention is given to examining the history of agricultural policies, and the influences these have had on determining the direction and rates of development of the farming methods identified in the previous chapter. Together these Review chapters show the close correlation between the Introduction of policies and the development of agricultural Methods.
The second part of the thesis concentrates on explaining the present state of the organic agricultural sector in Britain. In Chapter 4 the size of this sector is estimated and an assessment is made of the effect of present and future policies. Chapter 5 consists of an explanation of why it was necessary to design and conduct a questionnaire survey of organic farmers and the methods of analysing the returned data. This chapter highlights the problems of undertaking research when there is a lack of data and other information. The results of the survey are analysed in Chapter 6, which is an examination of the characteristics of organic producers in Britain. Chapter 7 is a summary of the findings of the thesis.
This thesis is an examination of the general aspects of organic farming. Individuals as conclusive evidence of a Particular point should not interpret the arguments and points highlighted. Interpretation Of the findings must be undertaken with the view of looking at agriculture as whole rather than separate sectors. Finally, the findings highlight areas for further research which are necessary, and the significance of governmental involvement in providing funds and policies which are conducive to encouraging the long-term development and sustainability of this sector.
Finally, who says research should be must be boring, I intend to enjoy myself and live it to the full.