Understanding Economic Sectors: Resources to Consumption

Primary Sector Activities

Crop Agriculture: Economic activity that obtains cereals, fruits, and vegetables from the land for consumption or as raw material for industry.

Livestock Farming: Economic activity that obtains different products (meat, milk, wool, eggs) from farm animals (cows, sheep, etc.).

Forestry: The science of planting and caring for forests and the management of growing timber.

Fishing: The technique, occupation, or diversion of catching fish.

Cooperative: A business that is owned by the members it serves and is managed in their interest.

Irrigation System: An artificial way of supplying water to crops/fields.

Pasture: A field of growing grass where animals can eat; a meadow.

Reforestation: The restoration (replanting) of a forest that had been reduced by fire or cutting.

Fish Farm: Intensive agriculture applied to fish.

Soil Erosion: The wearing away of surface soil by water and wind.

Secondary Sector Activities

Raw Material: The basic material from which a product is made.

Energy Sources: Natural resources that provide the necessary power to operate machines.

Human Resources: People who provide labor, knowledge, and skills.

Capital: The factories, machinery, and equipment owned by a business and used in production.

Industrial Park: An area of land designed for industrial uses and developed as a unit.

RDI (I + D + I): Research, development, and innovation.

Biodegradable: Capable of being slowly destroyed and broken down into very small parts by natural processes.

Tertiary Sector Activities

Trade: The activity or process of buying, selling, or exchanging goods or services.

Tourism: The business of providing services for tourists, including organizing their travel, hotels, entertainment, culture, and health.

Mass Media: Means of communication such as newspapers, radio, television, and the internet that can reach large, widely dispersed audiences.

Means of Transport: A vehicle or system of vehicles, such as buses, trains, aircraft, etc., for getting from one place to another.

Self-service: Customer chooses from displayed food items or service counters and goes to a central point to pay for the items.

Ferry: A boat that carries people and goods back and forth across a stretch of water.

Travel Agency: A business that arranges people’s trips.

Questions and Answers

What Activities Belong in the Primary Sector?

The primary sector includes economic activities related to obtaining resources directly from nature: agriculture, livestock farming, fishing, forestry, and mining.

What Kind of Products Does Livestock Farming Provide?

Livestock farming is the breeding of animals to obtain products for human use. It 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.

Give an Example of the Importance of Forestry.

Forestry consists of managing forests to obtain natural products such as wood (used to make furniture and paper), rubber, and resins.

What Factors Influence Agriculture?

Natural Factors:

• The influence of the climate
• The influence of the land relief
• The influence of the soil and the vegetation

Human Factors:

• Population growth
• Technological progress
• Social and economic organization

Examples of Monoculture and Polyculture

Monoculture: When fields are dedicated to just one crop, for example, wheat.

Polyculture: When fields are dedicated to several crops, for example, wheat, sunflower, and corn.

Briefly Explain the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy)

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 to avoid the overexploitation of the land.
3. To achieve sustainable agriculture by helping in rural development, promoting organic agriculture, and setting environmental and food health regulations (“Green agriculture”).

What Types of Fishing Activities Exist?

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

• Artisanal Fishing: Uses small boats and ships, traditional techniques, and little labor.
• Industrial Fishing: Uses large factory ships with modern technology (radar, sonar).

Fishing also depends on the distance from the coast and the duration of the trips:

• Coastal Fishing (Pesca de Bajura): Fishermen go out and return each day.
• Offshore Fishing (Pesca de Altura): Ships typically remain out at sea for days; and deep-sea or high-sea fishing, far from the coast.

How Have New Agricultural Technologies Helped?

New technologies allow the growth of plants without soil, using nutrients that are fundamental for life: water, oxygen, carbon dioxide. Israel leads this type of agricultural cultivation, as most of Israel is arid and has little water available for crop production.

What Human Factor Most Affects Agriculture?

Demographic growth and certain advances in technology have contributed to the overexploitation of natural resources, which causes serious ecological and environmental damage.

About WWF

WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of our planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.

Economic Activities in the Secondary Sector

The secondary sector includes economic activities that transform raw materials into other products to meet human needs. These activities are industry, energy production, and construction.

Biggest Activity in the Secondary Sector

Industry is the biggest activity within the secondary sector. It transforms raw materials into finished products for direct consumption or semi-finished products, which are used as materials in other industrial processes.

Activities Carried Out by Mining

The activities of mining are extracting and refining the rocks and minerals that are in the ground.

Two Materials Required for Construction Today

Construction requires materials such as steel and concrete.

Classification of Raw Materials by Origin

Raw materials can be biological (cotton, linen) or geological (granite, clay, coal, oil).

Classification of Traditional and Alternative Energy Resources

When and Where Did the First Industrial Revolution Occur?

The First Industrial Revolution (1770-1850) was developed in Great Britain.

Examples of Products from Equipment/Machinery and Consumer Industries

Equipment and Machinery: Railway, naval, and construction materials.

Consumer Industries: Foods, textiles, chemical products, etc.

High-Tech Zones

High-tech zones are large areas where high-tech industries are concentrated. Many of these are innovative companies and R&D centers (research and development centers).

Examples of Countries by Development Level

Developed Countries: United States, Japan, and the European Union

Regional Powers: Russia, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa

Emerging Countries: In Asia, such as China, South Korea, and India; in Latin America, such as Brazil and Mexico

Why is Tourism a Booming Activity?

Tourism is considered a booming activity because it is one of the fastest-growing leisure activities.

Classification of Services

Private or Market Services: Their main objective is to earn profits.

Public or Non-Market Services: Their main objective is to provide basic services through taxes.

Two Types of Markets

Physical Markets: Where merchandise is present, such as produce markets.

Abstract Markets: Where merchandise is not present, such as stock exchanges or securities markets (e.g., the stock exchange where shares are bought and sold).

Domestic Trade

Domestic trade is carried out within the borders of a country. It can be:

• Wholesale: When large amounts of merchandise are bought directly from producers and then sold to smaller shops.
• Retail: Which sells directly to consumers.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Rail Transport

Advantages: High capacity, safety, speed, and low levels of pollution if electrified.

Disadvantages: The network does not always go door-to-door, and construction and maintenance costs are high, especially for high-speed rail.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Water Transport

Advantages: Ships are used, above all, for the transportation of large quantities of merchandise. Ships are ideal for transporting heavy goods.

Disadvantages: It is slow, and accidents can cause contamination of the waters.

Types of Tourism

Water Tourism: The most popular form, including sun and sand tourism.

Mountain Tourism: Includes skiing, sports, and adventure activities, such as hiking, climbing, canyoning, paragliding, etc.

Rural Tourism

Cultural Tourism

Causes of Increased Tourism

• The increase in the standard of living.
• The generalization of the five-day working week and paid holidays.
• The improvement of means of transport and tourist facilities.