WFP - Economics
Economics
Colonized for its agricultural richness, the economy of the Western Frontier Protectorate centers on the production, processing and distribution of food. Smaller settlements are largely self-sufficient, each containing a broad base of skilled artisans capable of meeting the needs of the local community. As the level of technology in the WFP is below the CNCS average few problems result from this, and most settlements manage with a handful of dedicated blacksmiths, electrical engineers and mechanics. Most members of the community have rudimentary carpentry and mechanical skills and are capable of dealing with day-to-day problems. Only when equipment cannot be bought or repaired locally is there need for contact with the outside world, and even then most settlements will wait for the arrival of itinerant tradesmen. This is in stark contrast with the city-states that rely on trade to survive. Indeed, trade is the principal industry of Fort James.
The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the WFP is the lowest in the CNCS, but this is of little concern to the population. Their rat-race neighbors may have more money, but the Westerners believe they are better off. The people of the Great Western Plains strongly believe that the standard of living has nothing to do with wealth or gadgets. Rather it is about living life to the fullest and playing your role in society. Consequently, there are fewer extremes in society, with only a small number of people wanting for anything. Only in the city-states do an elite or underclass form, and even these avoid the extremes of the UMF or NLC thanks to the clan structure that provides most people with a safety net. Only those not associated with clans need rely on the Protectorate social security program which, though small, is well organized.
The Protectorate government takes a hands-off approach to the economy, managing trade routes, taxes and interest rates, but otherwise leaving matters in the hands of local authorities. They do, however, reserve the right to impose substantial tariffs on both imports and exports, usually by product, but occasionally by company or even league. Trade embargoes are rare, but since the outbreak of war, import from or export to member-states of the AST has been prohibited. This has not prevented a number of enterprising groups from transshipping goods through Port Arthur and the NuCoal.
Natural Resources
The extraction and exploitation of natural resources dominate the Protectorate economy. Chief among these are agriculture, ranching and food processing, but mining, forestry and energy production also play a role. Much of the WFPs culture stems from its agricultural roots, including the clans, who originated as homesteader groups in the Western Development Zone. Though there has been a steady migration of people to the cities, agriculture employs almost thirty percent of the adult population, principally located in the numerous rural communities scattered across the Great Western Plain. Johar and wheat form the staple crops and dominate farms on the Pampas while cattle ranching and the herding of rockspringers are common along the Badlands fringe and in the Mulhacen Cordillera. The WFP is completely self sufficient in foodstuffs and also exports large quantities to the NLC.
For protection, the league's industrial giants are concentrated in the three heavily fortified city states, supplied with the materials they require by a comprehensive and well maintained transport system. Fort William is the principal site of major heavy engineering companies as well as refineries for the materials extracted from the Westridge Range. The citystate is also home to the league's major military contractors whose reputations are known far and wide. Though adept at producing heavy weaponry, the WFP never successfully entered the Gear manufacturing market and is reliant on the UMF and NLC for such technologies.
Agriculture and Ranching
The methods of agriculture used in the Protectorate vary considerably depending on local conditions and the crops in question. Dry farming - without irrigation - is common on the arid Badlands fringe where rainfall is frequently less than forty centimeters a cycle. The technique relies on limiting water usage by reducing crop densities through careful sowing and the removal of water-absorbing weeds, as well as water-loss reduction techniques such as plowing along contours to reduce run-off. Furthermore, many plant species have been genetically modified to survive in such harsh conditions while others, notably waterroot and sand-beet, are naturally adapted to the climate.
Settlements near natural watercourses or with bores into the MacAllen Network often make use of irrigation, allowing a broader range of crops. Sprinkler systems are the most common form, but labor-intensive drip-feed systems are used on some high value crops like potatoes. Irrigation can pose its own problems, particularly in the warmest and most arid regions where high evaporation and poor drainage leads to the accumulation of salt in the soil which inhibits plant growth. As a result, such practices are usually limited to small areas and specific projects. Many crops, johar and wheat in particular, rely on natural precipitation and indeed require a prolonged dry season to mature.
The rearing of springers, barnabies and cattle for milk, meat and hides forms a major part of the rural economy, particularly around Fort James and in the northern valleys. The often-difficult terrain leads many ranchers to eschew modern technology in favor of methods dating back millennia. Riding springers and horses are the principal modes of transport so as not to startle the herds, though the largest farms use floaters to reach the most isolated locations.
Mining and Forestry
Mineral extraction plays a major role in the economy of Fort William, and the valleys of the Mulhacen Cordillera are dotted with deep-shaft and opencast mines. Iron, tin and zinc are the most common products of these mines, but gems and precious metals, both essential to modern electronics and weapon technologies, are also extracted in the region. The Westridge Range is the Protectorate’s principal source of radioactive materials, particularly thorium and radium used for medical purposes, but also uranium for weapons. The plains are also the site of many mines, often extracting bauxite or quartz, which normally take the form of strip-mines using massive dragline excavators.
The forests of the northwest valleys are the focus of the league’s logging industry. The staples of these concerns are Terranovan pine and saguaro, but early settlers introduced eucalyptus and cork oak, which are much sought after for construction and furniture making. Some varieties of eucalyptus are grown on special farms near Fort Henry for use by the city-state’s medical industry.
Power Generation
Unlike the UMF and NLC, the Protectorate does not have vast resetves of fossil fuels and instead relies on imported oil and gas. This is often a source of friction with their neighbors, as the Tricity Embargo and Karlton Ranch situations have demonstrated. Renewable energy sources, mainly solar arrays and aerogenerators, are common - the latter especially so, to take advantage of the high winds that roar across the plains. Rather than the massive energy farms found elsewhere in the CNCS, most of the power generation facilities in the WFP are associated with individual settlements. Any excess energy is exported to neighbors or the city-states as an extra source of revenue. As such equipment can easily be damaged by tempests, most farmsteads and settlements are also equipped with fossil-fuel backup generators.
Manufacturing and Service Industries
Food processing dominates the manufacturing districts of both Fort James and Fort Henry. Though many crops are processed at the farmsteads, the plants in the city-states produce finished goods and package them for distribution. Several large companies handle food retail, the best known of which are Threadneedle and the UMF giant MainzFoods. The Protectorate has also established a solid reputation for the production of alcoholic beverages like Fort James Special whisky or Mulhacen beer.
Large-scale manufacturing plays a major role in the economy of the city-states, ranging from light engineering and assembly work to refining and heavy engineering. The league has a well-developed military-industrial complex and such industries provide considerable revenue from foreign sales in addition to ensuring the WFPA is well equipped. This work focuses on Fort William, but all three city-states and several minor communities play a vital role in the process. The manufacture of textiles takes place in many settlements and a number have their own weaves, color schemes and processes. Like the weaving patterns of the Maya, these are often associated with clans, passed down through the generations, though widespread trade has led to the abandonment of the materials as clan identifiers.
Service industries like retailing, finance and the media are largely limited to large settlements, but this sector of the WFP economy has steadily grown since the founding and plays a vital role in the economy. Many young Westerners, disheartened by the hardships of farm life, have relocated to the cities and found employment in such industries
Trade
Trade is a vital part of the Protectorate’s economic system, be it between farmsteads, city-states or leagues. Though a net exporter of food, Western society is dependent on imports of other items, particularly petrochemicals and high-technology goods. This has proven a major weakness of the WFP on several occasions, allowing outside forces to dictate terms to the league, occasionally provoking bloody conflict.
The transportation system in the Protectorate is well developed, mixing road and rail links with cargo landships and even floaters. Most active in the autumn during the harvest season, the network has been incorporated into the military logistics network, moving troops and equipment across the Protectorate to meet the ever-valying threats of the war. Consequently, the civilian market has shown a sharp decline since the start of hostilities, though care is taken to ensure the continued flow of essential goods such as foodstuffs and clothing. These restrictions have prompted a major increase in black market activity in the WFP.
The Gamma maglev plays a major role in trade with the NLC and, before the outbreak of war, the Southern Republic. Grain wagons were a common sight on the line, but since the start of hostilities, exports to the south have been curtailed and Maglev services forcibly halted at Fort James. Despite the official blockade, many small-time operators continue to trade with the south, using the Westridge railway to Wounded Knee and the NuCoal as well as Port Arthur as neutral stepping stones. The High Council has attempted to block such actions, but with the WFPA bogged down in the conflict with the south or in dealing with Badlands raiders, implementation of the restrictions has been patchy.
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