Primary Sector Activities: Agriculture, Livestock, Fishing
Agricultural Activities
Agricultural activities occupy an important place and are conditioned by several factors:
Factors Influencing Agriculture
- Weather: Each crop requires specific climatic conditions of temperature and humidity for its development.
- Relief: Agriculture is usually located in plains and valley bottoms.
- Soil: Soil also impacts crop development, and its agricultural use depends on its texture and acidity.
Soil Characteristics
- Texture: This refers to the size of soil particles, which affects the soil’s ability to retain water.
- Acidity: Measured by pH; soils with a pH below 7 are acidic, while those above are alkaline.
Agricultural Landscapes
The natural landscape is often changed and adapted to increase its agricultural use. Key components include plots, farming systems, and population patterns.
Plots
Plots represent the division of agricultural land. One type is the open-field landscape, formed by small, open patches, often with regular shapes.
Farming Systems and Techniques
There are several techniques used in farming:
- Polyculture / Monoculture: Polyculture involves cultivating several species, while monoculture involves cultivating only one.
- Irrigation / Dryland Farming: Irrigation uses extracted groundwater or water fed through channels to the fields. Dryland farming relies solely on rainwater.
- Intensive / Extensive Agriculture: Intensive agriculture often involves smaller plots, significant labor input, and the use of fertilizers and selected seeds. Extensive agriculture typically uses larger areas, may involve fallow periods, and requires less labor per unit area.
Population Distribution
Agricultural populations can be dispersed across the landscape or concentrated in settlements.
Subsistence Agriculture
This type of agriculture is aimed at producing everything needed for survival. It is primarily devoted to self-consumption and produces few surpluses for sale. Different techniques exist:
Types of Subsistence Farming
- Shifting Cultivation by Cremation: Land is cleared by burning forests or savanna, common in parts of Africa, South America, and Asia.
- Extensive Rainfed Agriculture: Based on the association of farming and livestock activities, often found in dry regions of Africa.
- Irrigated Rice Agriculture: Practiced where rainfall is abundant, winters are warm, and fertile soil supports high yields, common in Monsoon Asia.
Market Agriculture
Market-oriented agriculture started developing in countries alongside the Industrial Revolution. Improvements during that time made it possible to obtain agricultural surpluses. This agriculture aims to maximize sales and minimize costs, achieved through:
Factors Enabling Market Agriculture
- Mechanization of the Field: Saves labor, increases production, and can lower agricultural product prices.
- Specialization of Agricultural Production: Leads to increased production efficiency, higher quantities, and easier marketing.
- Quick Marketing of Agricultural Products: Accelerates commercialization using appropriate transport suited to the type of product.
Livestock Farming
Traditional Livestock Farming
Animals are used for fieldwork and provide manure (fertilizer). Small farmers often keep herds that provide milk, meat, and wool. This is practiced in intertropical areas, monsoon regions, and the Mediterranean.
Market-Oriented Livestock Farming
This aims to sell the production and achieve maximum profit. It is divided into:
Types of Market Livestock Farming
- Intensive Livestock Farming: Done on specialized farms with significant capital investment in labor, facilities, and feed. Animals are often reared indoors (e.g., barns, housing regimes).
- Extensive Livestock Farming: Practiced in areas with large fields of grass. Numerous cattle feed outdoors, requiring less labor per animal but often involving large land areas and businesses.
Fishing Activities
Fishing is based on utilizing the animal resources offered by seas, rivers, and lakes. Two main types are distinguished:
Types of Fishing
- Traditional Fishing: Takes place near the coast, relies on human strength and simple fishing gear. This type of fishing often remains underdeveloped, with low production primarily serving subsistence needs.
- Industrial Fishing: Aims to obtain a large volume of catches. It requires significant financial resources, advanced technology (like sonar and radar), and well-developed port infrastructures.
Industrial Fishing Categories
Based on the fishing location and vessel capabilities:
- Inshore Fishing: Uses small boats that stay relatively close to the coast. Catches are typically landed daily and are smaller in volume.
- Offshore Fishing: Practiced by fleets of larger, well-equipped boats that remain at sea for weeks or months. These vessels often have radar, sonar, and cold storage facilities.
- Deep-Sea Fishing: Involves large mother vessels or factory ships operating in distant waters, sometimes processing the catch onboard.
Overfishing Concerns
The use of increasingly effective techniques and the growing number of boats have led to the overexploitation of fishery resources. Reserves in many fishing areas are exploited at or beyond sustainable limits.
Proposed Conservation Measures
Some international organizations propose measures to conserve marine resources, including:
- Enforced use of large mesh nets (to allow smaller/younger fish to escape).
- Control of minimum catch sizes.
- Establishment of closed seasons (to protect breeding periods).
- Limiting the capacity (number and size) of fishing fleets.