PRIMARY SECTOR ACTIVITIESGEOGRAPHY UNIT 6Y3Almudena Corrales Marbán

Introduction

It is difficult to conceive agriculture without soil , we

have overpassed 7000 million people all over the

world and population need to be fed.

Science and technology have made it possible with

technics like hydrophonics: it is a method of

growing plants without soil but using nutrients that

are fundamental for life: water, oxygen, carbon

dioxide and enough light for photoshynthesis.

News:

Today Israel leads

this type of

agricultural

cultivation. Most of

Israel is arid and has

little water available

for crop production

Personal opinionI personally beleive this kind of products do not taste the same as if they had been

grown naturally, why? Because they do not follow an ordinary proccess and they

can also be the cause of some of the most common diseases nowadays.

1. THE PRIMARY SECTOR: Agriculture

Economic activities are grouped into three main

sectors: primary, secondary and tertiary.

The primary sector includes the economic activities

related to obtain resources directly from nature

Although agriculture is the main

activity that belongs to this sector,

there are other economic actvities

involved in the primary sector such

as livestock farming, fishing and

forestry.

There are three activities in the primary sector which use land to obtain natural resources:

AGRICULTURE: cultivation of land in order to obtain

different kind of plants: grasses (cereals); vegetables,

bushes (vines); or trees (olive, fruit trees). They provide

food for people, fodder for cattle and raw materials for

industry.

LIVESTOCK FARMING is the breeding of animals in order to

obtain products for human use. A great variety of animal

species are bred, but the most common are cows, sheep,

goats, pigs and poultry*. Livestock farming provides food

and raw materials for industry (meat, milk, leather,

wool, fertilizer). In some cases, animals are also put to

work (in agriculture, transportation, etc.). This is common in

underdeveloped countries or poor families living in rural

areas.

Poultry: aves de corral.

FORESTRY consists of managing forests in order to obtain

natural products such as wood (used to make furniture

and paper), rubberand resins.

2. AGRICULTURE DEPENDS ON A

VARIETY OF FACTORS:

• The influence of the climate

• The influence of the land relief

• The influence of the soil and the vegetation

a. The influence of the climate

The growth of plants

depends on the

temperature, the

humidity of the land and

the amount of ligth

received. It is impossible to

practice agriculture at

temperatures lower than

0°C or higher than 45°C, or

in areas of very severe

drought.

b. The influence of the land relief

Farmers prefer to cultivate flat

land on plains and in valley

bottoms.

They avoid mountainous areas

because it is much harder to

cultivate land on slopes as

machines can’t be used and it

is necessary to cut terraces. In

addition, above a certain

altitude, the low temperatures

prevent the growth of crops.

Livestock farming and

forestry, on the other hand,

are better able to adapt to

mountainous terrain.

c. The influence of the soil and the vegetation

The soil provides the nutrients

necessary for plants to grow.

Their fertility depends on the

depth, the texture, which

influences water retention, and

its acidity or alkalinity,

because very acid or very

alkaline soils are toxic for

plants.

Activities such as livestock

farming and forestry depend to

a great extent on the natural

vegetation.

3. HUMAN FACTORS IN AGRICULTURE

Agricultural landscapes arethe result of human activities.Both natural and human factorsdetermine agricultural activity,but the latter makes it possibleto compensate for the naturalfactors.

Demographic growth andcertain advances in technologyhave contributed to the overexploitation of naturalresources, which causes seriousecological and environmentaldamage

Organisations likeGreenpeace or WWF haveremarked that this kind ofexploitation of our resources andthe use of chemical compoundswill eventually exhaust the soils

The human factors that influence agriculture are:

a. Population growth

An increase in the population means

that a more space is needed to grow

crops and to be used for pasture.

Consequencies:

• Natural land is used and vegetation is

lost.

• In some cases deforestation has

serious impacts on the

environment

• In some areas animal species are in

danger of extinction.

b. Technological progress

The evolution of technology influences the

cultivation of the land. In traditional societies,

farmers use very simple tools, such as the

digging* stick*, the hoe*, the sickle* and

the plough*. In developed societies, modern

equipment and materials are used, such as

tractors, harvesters, chemical fertilisers,

computers, etc.

Technology makes it is possible to modify

unfavourable natural conditions. Fertilisers

are used to increase nutrients in the soil or part

of the land is left uncultivated (fallow land*) to

regain fertility; crops can be watered* to

produce more; chemicals are used to kill pests*;

greenhouses are built to protect crops; and the

livestock are kept inside stables.

Vocabulary

digging stick: pala

hoe: azada

sickle: hoz

plough: arado

Vocabulary

pest: plaga

c. Social and economic organisation

The agricultural economy is reflected in the choice of

crops cultivated. In a subsistence economy, which

produces food for its now needs, several crops may be

planted, whereas in a market economy, which

produces

surpluses* to sell, the tendency is towards

specialisation in a single crop. Social organisation

affects agriculture through the systems of ownership

and use of the land:

• Ownership can be private, a cooperative or a

company; or collective, if it belongs to a community

(tribe, municipality, state (Comunism). Land is also

categorized according to size and called either large

estates, medium-sized concerns or smallholdings.

• The agricultural production system refers to the

people who work the land. In the direct system, the

owner works the land or hires workers; in the indirect

system or tenant farming, the land is cultivated by

another person in exchange for payment (rental) or a

percentage of the

production (share farming).

Vocabulary

Supply: oferta, suministro, víveres.

surplus: excedente

specialisation in a single crop

4. FEATURES OF AGRICULTURALLANDSCAPES

The agricultural landscape(paisaje agrario)

Agriculture transforms the natural environment greatly and in differentways. Agricultural landscapes have three elements in common which are: fields, rural settlement and the cultivation systems.

Small, irregular fields and ones enclosed by hedges or trees are usually the result of the natural land relief or long historical evolution.

Large, regular and open fields are usually

the consequence of planning.

a. Agricultural plots fields

Fields are the basic divisions of

agricultural land. Each field is an

area of land dedicated to one

particular crop and separated from

other fields

by borders. They vary according to:

• Size. They can be small (less than

10 hectares), medium-sized

(between 10 and 100 hectares) or

large (more than 100 hectares).

• Shape. They can be regular or

irregular.

• Limits. They can be open or

enclosed (by hedges*, trees or

fences*).

Vocabulary

Hedges: setos

Fences: vallas

b. The systems of cultivation

The cultivation systems are the techniques system used to obtain the agricultural products. Classified according to:

• The variety of crops.

* monoculture (monocultivo) or single-crop farming when the fields are dedicated to just one crop.

*polyculture (policultivo)or mixed farming if they are dedicated to several crops.

• The water the plants receive.

*Dry farming (agricultura de secano) is when the crops only receive the natural precipitation

*Irrigation* farming (agricultura de regadío) is when the farmer provides additional water from rivers, wells or springs /sprinkles (aspersores).

• The use of the land.

There may be constant cultivation of the land without rest, or rotation (periodic change of crops). Rotation may include fallow land, leaving part of the land uncultivated, or it may be continuous, i.e. alternating between crops which exhaust the land to different extents. Depending on the duration of the rotation, we talk about two-year rotation, three-year rotation, etc.

• The working of the land. Agriculture can be intensive (intensiva) if the maximum use is made of the land (high yield), or extensive (extensiva) (low yield).

• The destination of the produce.

In subsistence agriculture (agricultura de subsistencia), the products are used to feed the farmer and his/her family, and in commercial agriculture (agricultura de mercado), they are sold on the domestic or international market.

Vocabulary

domestic market: mercado nacional o interior

international market: mercado internacional

Rural settlement is the way the agricultural population is distributed in the area. There are three types: disperse, concentrated and intermediate.• In disperse rural settlement, the

farmers’/workers’ houses are separated from each other and surrounded by agricultural land.

• In concentrated settlement, they are grouped together in a village, which may be lineal, when the houses are arranged in a line along a river, a path or a road; or clustered, when the houses are arranged around a centre.

• In intermediate rural settlement the population is distributed in a combination of these two, some houses are isolated and others are grouped together in villages.

c. Rural settlement

5. TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURALLANDSCAPES

In traditional agriculture farmers practise subsistence agriculture, they use primitive

technology and it involves a great deal of labour. The production is low and it is used

for self-consumption.

A. Itinerant or ‘slash and burn’ agriculture (Agricultura itinerante)

This type of agriculture is typical in the equatorial and

tropical climates of Africa, Central and South America.

Trees are cut down and burnt along with the weeds*.

Mixed farming is practiced, with cereals and other

products (sorghum, millet, maize, cassava, yam, sweet

potato, etc.), for self-consumption. The soil is

cultivated continuously, so it becomes exhausted

after two or three years. Then, the farmer moves to

another place and repeats the process.

Vocabulary

weeds: rastrojos

B. Dry sedentary agriculture

This type of agriculture is found in the tropical

savannah areas of Africa and in certain regions of

South America and Asia.

The agricultural landscape is composed of

vegetable plots and small fields, near the houses,

which are fertilised with waste and animal manure*.

This permits the continuous cultivation of vegetables,

beans or maize. The land around the village is divided

into three areas where

a main crop (millet or maize) is rotated with another,

complementary one (peanut or tubers) and fallow land

(where cattle feed and fertilise it with their dung*).

With this system, the soil is not exhausted, which

allows the permanent settlement of the population.

Vocabulary

plot: terreno

animal manure: abono animal

dung: estiércol

C. Monsoon irrigation agricultureThis type of agriculture is found in the monsoon tropical climate zone of south and south-east Asia, in countries such as China, Vietnam, Cambodia or the Philippines. The typical agricultural landscape is rice paddies*, on the alluvial* plains and the river deltas. TDeveloped agriculturallandscapeshe main activity is the cultivation of rice in small, floodable paddies, separated by dykes*.

The cultivation technique consists of firstly planting

rice in a nursery treated with manure. While it grows,

the paddies are ploughed, fertilized and flooded. When

the plants have grown a little, they are transplanted

into the paddy and they begin to mature. Later the

water is drained off and the rice is harvested,

threshed* and collected. This system permits

continuous production, with two or three

harvests a year.

Vocabulary

rice paddies: arrozales

alluvial plains:llanuras aluviales

dykes: acequias

threshed: trillar (to separate the shell from the seed)

nursery: vivero

6. DEVELOPED AGRICULTURALLANDSCAPES

What are the main characteristics and geographical distribution?

Developed agricultural landscapes are those where farmers practice market agriculture, use advanced technology and require less intensive labour than traditional agricultural systems.

Production is abundant and farmers specialise in the products best adapted to the physical environment or those which are most profitable.

A. The agriculture of new-world countriesNew-world countries are those which were colonised by Europeans between the 16th and 19th centuries in North and South America (USA,Canada, Argentina) and Australia.

The agricultural landscape is characterised by large, regular fields, with the use of the most advanced technology and very little labour. The land normally belongs to highly-trained farmers or large companies which also control the processing, distribution and sale of the products.Production is massive and specialised, and it is intended for sale on the international market. In the United States, for example, agricultural land forms belts specialisedin the production of one crop (wheat*, maize*, tobacco, cotton, etc.). Indrier areas, extensive livestock farming is common (cattle or sheep), for the production of meat, wool and leather

Vocabulary

cattle: vacuno, ternera.

EUROPEAN AGRICULTURE

How is the European

agriculture like?

Agriculture extends throughout the

European continent, though there is

a great variety of agricultural

landscapes. In some areas there

are large estates (Paris basin, Po and

Guadalquivir valleys); in others,

medium-sized concerns* are more

common (Western Europe and the

Mediterranean), and also

smallholdings (some countries in

East Europe).

The Common Agricultural Policy: CAP (Política Agraria Comunitaria PAC)

The countries that form part of the European Union have adopted a common agricultural policy, the CAP, whose aims are:

1. To establish fair prices for farmers and consumers, setting* maximum and minimum levels for each product.

2. To achieve competitive agriculture, reducing production surpluses. In order to avoid to the overexplotation of the land.

3. To achieve sustainable agriculture by helpng in rural development, promotyng organic agriculture and setting environmental and food health regulations.

7. LIVESTOCK FARMING SYSTEMS

Which animals are most commonly reared in the region where you

live?

Vocabulary

Rear/ raise: criar

7.1 The evolution of livestock farming

Traditionally, livestock farming has performed two functions:

• The perfect complement of agriculture, providing food, animals to work and manure for fields.

• And sometimes livestock farming was the dominant activity, especially in those areas where the natural characteristics were not favourable for agriculture:

• on the edges of deserts• temperate prairies, tropical savannahs • cool, humid areas of the oceanic climate.

Today, the market has forced many farmers to modernise and introduce technical innovations. This explains why there are different livestock farming systems.

7.2 Traditional livestock farming systems

Traditional livestock farming follows two basic models:

• A)Nomadic livestock farming is typical in the dry areas at the edge of deserts (bordes de los desiertos). Farmers move constantly with their herds of camels, goats and sheep, for example the Tuaregs in the Sahara .

•B) Transhumant livestock farming is found in some mountainous regions of America, Asia and North Africa. Farmers migrate seasonally with their goats and sheep.

They sometimes travel large distances between the plains (winter pasture) and the mountains (summer pasture).

7.3 Market livestock farming systems

Market livestock farming is characteristic of developed areas with temperate climates. There are two types:

• A) In extensive livestock farming, the livestock graze* (pastorea) in the open air on pasture land, so it does not require much investment in labour and capital: North American and Australian ranches, or the Argentinean Pampas.

• B) In intensive livestock farming, cattle are sheltered in stables or enclosed farms. It requires investment in facilities, selection of breeds, technology, food and veterinary care.

8. FISHING. USING THERESOURCES OF THE SEA

Which is your favourite fish or seafood dish?

8.1 Fishing and fishing grounds

Fishing is any activity which obtains natural products from the sea. It is used to obtain food and raw materials for industry:

canned* goods, frozen goods, oils, fish meals, fertilizers, etc.

The areas of the sea in which fish are abundant are called fishing grounds or banks. (bancos de peces)

The main fishing areas are found where plankton is abundant, such as the continental platforms, and where warm currents meet cold currents.

the Pacific Ocean, the Northern Atlantic and the western coasts of Africa.

The leading fishing countries are:

China, Peru, United States, Indonesiaand Japan.

WHY?

8.2 Types of fishing and techniques

Depending on the level of development, fishing can be artisanal orindustrial.

• Artisanal fishing uses small boats and ships, traditional techniques and little labour, so production is small and is intended for the local market.

• Industrial fishing uses large factory ships with modern technology (radar, sonar) and a great deal of labour, the production is abundant and is intended for sale on the domestic or international market.

Fishing also depends on the distance from the coast and the durationof the trips. It can be:

• Coastal fishing (pesca de bajura), is when fishermen go out and return each day.

• Offshore fishing (pesca de altura), is when ships typically remain out at sea for days; and deep-sea or high-sea fishing, far from the coast.

Coastal fishing

Offshore fishing