Hill Farming - Hill Farming Throughout History

Hill Farming Throughout History

Dartmoor National Park has over 10,000ha of prehistoric field systems, dating back to 1500BC. Archaeological evidence shows that these moors have been grazed for 3500 years. Because of the extent of historical farming in the UK uplands, hill farming has shaped the English uplands both environmentally and culturally.

The UK government has designated different areas in the upland as specifically valuable by certain terms of the environment, biodiversity, archaeology, cultural heritage and landscape, and seeks to protect these regions for such reasons. According to the UK government, these designated areas and their qualifications as such are:

• National parks
  • "These protect and conserve the character of landscapes, facilities for access, wildlife habitats and historic features"
• Areas of outstanding natural beauty
  • "These conserve and enhance naturally beautiful landscapes"
• Countryside character areas
  • "Areas of cultural heritage which should be preserved"
• Natural England natural areas
  • "Each area has a unique identity created by its mix of natural features and human activities and provides a broad context for local nature conservation work"
• Common land
  • "Areas where people who do not own the land have rights to use it for farming or other purposes"
• National nature reserves
  • "These protect and provide public access to important wildlife and geological sites"
• Special areas of conservation
  • "These protect various wild animals, plants and habitats under the European Union’s Habitats Directive"
• Special protection areas
  • "These protect rare and vulnerable birds and migratory species as well as geological and physiographical heritage"
• Upland experiment areas
  • "Two upland areas where Natural England/Defra predecessor bodies piloted an integrated approach to rural development and nature conservation between 1999 and 2001"
• Ancient woodland
  • "Land that has had continuous tree cover since at least 1600"

Over the past century, Hill farming and the upland environment have undergone a number of changes. Since 1900 there has been:

• An approximately 500% increase in the number of sheep livestock
• A decrease in medium sized farms, due to increase in large farms businesses and the emergence of small-scale hobby farmers.
• Increased specialization in livestock and a movement away from tradition mixed farming methods.
• Fairly consistent labour employment on account of constant agricultural intensification offsetting reductions in labour output made possible by technological advancements.
• A high turnover rates in upland ecosystem habitat types. For example, although the percentage of land classified as dwarf shrub moor remained relatively stable between 1913 and 2000, only 55% of the dwarf moor shrub land in 1913 occupied the same area as it does in 2000.