Overview Of Agriculture In France

772 Words2 Pages

Although France's old historic provinces were abolished by the Revolution, they remain the country's basic geographic, cultural, and economic divisions. These provinces mirror France's natural geographic regions and, despite modern administrative centralization, retain their striking diversity. Agriculture plays a major role in the French landforms. Since the early 1670s sixty percent have disappeared in the agriculture force (Andreas). Agriculture in France is a necessity although there is only about four percent of labor force and only three percent contributes to GDP. France, whose farms export more agricultural food products than any other EU nation is the only country in Europe to be completely self-sufficient in basic food production. France is one of the leaders in Europe in the value of agricultural export specifically wheat, sugar, wine, and beef. As of 1998 thirty-five percent of France's area was suitable for growing crops (Andreas). Since the 1950s, the number of farms has declined and the size of individual holdings has increased (Andreas). By 1983 there were about 1.13 million farms, as compared to 2.3 million in 1955, and the average farm size was about sixty-four acres (Andreas). Average farm size had grown to around one hundred and twenty-four acres in 2000 (Andreas). French law provides for equal rights of inheritance, traditionally much of the farmland came to be split up into small, scattered fragments. One of the major aims of postwar plans for rural improvement has been the consolidation of these through reallotment. Such consolidation also fosters the growth of mechanization such as transportation. The French transportation system is one of the best in Western Europe (Mills). French railways, which were na...

... middle of paper ...

...e to the president. The bicameral legislature consists of the National Assembly and the Senate. Deputies to the 577-seat National Assembly are elected for five-year terms from single-member districts (Pearson). The 348 senators are elected for six-year terms from each department by an electoral college composed of the deputies, district council members, and municipal council members from the department, with one half of the Senate elected every 3 years (Pearson). France is the monarch country in the Western Europe. The current Constitution of France declares the country as worldly and democratic, with its power derived from the people. The nation's ideals are expressed in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, one of the world's earliest documents on human rights, which was formulated during the seminal French Revolution of the late 18th century.

Open Document