Primary Sector Activities and Economic Systems
Primary Sector Activities
Primary sector activities involve obtaining natural resources. Examples include:
- Agriculture
- Mining
- Fishing
- Forestry
- Livestock
Agricultural Space
Soil: Increased thickness and water retention improve soil quality. Lower or higher pH, porosity, and the presence of clay particles and nutrients also affect agricultural productivity.
Atmospheric Agents: Rain, wind, and harvests influence agriculture.
Exposure: Optimal exposure ensures suitable growing conditions.
Gradient: A smooth thermal gradient of at least 6 degrees per 100m is ideal.
Inclination: Moderate slopes are preferable for tractor use.
Precipitation: Ideally between 900mm and 1200mm.
Sunlight: A balance of sun and shade is necessary.
Temperature: Temperatures above 0 degrees Celsius (and ideally above 10 degrees) promote plant growth.
Vegetation Cover: Maintaining vegetation cover helps keep the soil fertile through humus decomposition (animal and vegetable matter).
Altitude and Relief: Lower altitudes (200m or less) are generally better suited for agriculture.
Agrarian Human Space
- Historical and Cultural Aspects: Historical and cultural processes have lasting effects on agricultural practices and land use.
- Population Growth: Population increases in certain regions drive the need for greater food production, leading to agricultural expansion.
- Technology: Modern machinery, biotechnology, and irrigation techniques significantly impact agricultural output.
- Economic Conditions: Market demands and economic policies influence crop choices and farming practices.
- Property Ownership: Land ownership structures (small farms vs. large estates) shape agricultural landscapes.
- Exploitation Regime: Direct or indirect exploitation (owner-operated, tenant farming, sharecropping) affects labor relations and agricultural practices.
- Agricultural Policies: Government initiatives and policies aim to modernize and balance agricultural production.
Types of Agriculture
Irrigation: Artificial watering methods, commonly used for crops like rice.
Dryland Farming: Relies on natural rainfall, suitable for crops like wheat.
Monoculture: Cultivating a single crop in a given area, often practiced on large estates for trade.
Polyculture: Growing multiple crops in the same area, such as in market gardens.
Intensive Agriculture: High capital and labor investment for maximum yield, resulting in abundant harvests (e.g., orchards).
Labor-Intensive Agriculture: Relies heavily on manual labor with minimal capital investment.
Extensive Agriculture: Utilizes available resources and land with varying levels of technology and productivity.
– High Productivity: Employs modern technology for efficient large-scale production.
– Low Productivity: Uses rudimentary techniques with limited output.
Subsistence Agriculture: Characterized by archaic techniques, low productivity, and reliance on traditional methods.
– Shifting Cultivation: Involves clearing land by fire and utilizing rudimentary techniques.
– Intensive Subsistence: Labor-intensive methods, often seen in rice cultivation in Asia.
Market-Oriented Agriculture: Focuses on producing crops for sale, utilizing modern techniques and high productivity, prevalent in developed countries.
– European Agriculture: Diverse, ranging from Dutch flower production to German cereal crops.
– Mediterranean Agriculture: Includes both rainfed and irrigated farming, often extensive with limited mechanization.
– Plantation Agriculture: Large-scale operations run by foreign companies, focused on export crops.
Livestock
Extensive Livestock Farming: Low capital investment and low productivity.
Intensive Livestock Farming: High capital investment, high productivity, often industrial-scale.
Non-Confined: Animals graze freely on pastures.
Feedlot: Animals are concentrated in feedlots and fed intensively.
Semi-Intensive: A mix of intensive and extensive methods, with animals housed indoors during winter and grazing outdoors in summer.
Nomadic Herding: Involves moving herds between seasonal pastures.
Sedentary Livestock Farming: Animals are kept in a fixed location.
Fishing
Inshore Fishing: Occurs in coastal areas, using small boats and traditional methods like nets and traps. Often seasonal.
Deep-Sea Fishing: Takes place in the open ocean, using large vessels and modern technology like radar. Catches are often frozen and stored onboard.
Economy
Economic Activities: Involve the use of resources (capital, natural resources, human resources) to produce goods and services.
Economic Goods: Include material objects, human services, and economic assets.
Economic Systems: Different ways of organizing economic activity, including planned economies and market economies.
Market Economy: Driven by supply and demand.