Chapter 5
PRIMARY ACTIVITIES
FACTS THAT MATTER
•All human activities which generate income are known as economic activities.
Economic activities are broadly grouped into four categories:
Primary Activities
Secondary activities
Tertiary Activities
Quaternary Activities
•Primary activities are those activities which are directly dependent on environment because they make use of earth's resources like land, water, vegetation, building materials and minerals. Therefore, it includes hunting and gathering, pastoral activities, fishing, forestry, agriculture and mining and quarrying
•Due to outdoor nature of their work, people engaged in primary activities are called red collar workers.
Hunting & Gathering
•The earliest known primary activities are hunting and gathering. Gathering is practised in the regions with harsh climatic conditions. Earliest humans depend on nature for survival. They sustained on the edible plants and the animals which were found in their vicinity. It is still practised among groups-who depend on them for food, clothing and shelter.
•They used primitive tools of stones, twigs or arrows, so the number of animals killed was limited, though some have got extinct.
•Hunting are the oldest known economic activity,
•Gathering is practised in:
(I)High latitude zones which include Northern Canada, Northern Eurasia and Southern Chile.
(ii) Low latitude zones such as the Amazon Basin, tropical Africa, Northern fringe of Australia and interior part of Southeast Asia.
•In modern times some gathering is market oriented. Gatherers collect valuable plants and after simple processing sell these in the market.
•They use different parts of the plants. For example they use:
(a) Bark of the tree for making quinine, tanin extract and cork.
(b) Leaves are used to produce beverages, drugs, cosmetics, fibre, thatch and fabrics.
(c)Nuts are used for food and oils.
(d) Tree trunk provides rubber, balata, gums and resins.
•Chewing gum is made from the milky juice of zapota tree and when its flavour is gone it is called chicle.
Pastoralism
•After realising that hunting and gathering is unsustainable in the long run, people started with the domestication of animals found in this region.
•Depending on the geographical factors and technological development, animal-rearing today is practised either at subsistence level or commercial level. It is, therefore, of two types: Nomadic herding and Commercial livestock-rearing .
Nomadic Herding
•It is also called pastoral nomadism which is a primitive subsistence activity, in which herders rely on animals for food, clothing, shelter, food and transport and move from one place to another depending on the amount of pasture & water available in an area,
•A wide variety of animals are kept in different regions of the world.
•In tropical Africa, cattle are the most important livestock, while in Sahara and Asiatic deserts, sheep, goats and camel are reared. In the mountainous areas of Tibet and Andes, yak and llamas and in the Arctic and sub-Arctic areas, reindeer are the most important animals.
•Areas of practise: It is a core region that extends from the Atlantic shores of Northern Africa eastward across the Arabian peninsula into Mongolia and central China. Tundra region of Eurasia, small areas in south west Africa and Madagascar.
•The movement of the herders with the change of seasons from plains to mountains in summers and from mountains to plains in winters is known as Transhumance, e.g.,
Gujjars, Gaddis, Bakarwals, Bhotias of Himalayas.
•Their number and area are shrinking due to (a) imposition of political boundaries (b) new settlement plains by governments.
Commercial Livestock Rearing
•It is more organised, capital intensive and is practised in permanent ranches for commercial purposes.
•To regulate grazing, ranches are divided into parcels and fenced. Number of animals depend on the carrying capacity.
•Highly specialized activity-only one type of animal is kept (Sheep, cattle, horses, goats).
•Products like meat, wool, hides are process and packed scientifically and then exports.
•Rearing is done scientifically with special emphasis on breeding, genetic improvement, healthcare etc.
•New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Uruguay and United States of America are important countries where commercial livestock is practised.
Agriculture
•Depending on the methods of farming, different types of crops are grown and livestock oraised. The important systems of agriculture are: Subsistence agriculture, Plantation agriculture, Extensive commercial grain farming, Mixed farming, Dairy farming, et Mediterranean agriculture, Market gardening and horticulture, cooperative farming and Collective farming.
•Soil, climate, size of land holdings and other social, economic and technological factors influence agricultural practises and give rise to different agricultural systems.
Subsistence of Agriculture
•In this type, the produce is generally consumed by the farmers and his family. Nothing or little is sometimes left for the market.
(a) Primitive Subsistence Agriculture: Shifting or slash and burn agriculture.
Practised in parts of Africa, South and central America, South-east Asia.
Forests cleared by fire and crops are grow into primitive tools like hoes and sticks. After the fertility is decreased a new patch is cleared and the farmer shifts to thin area. It leads to degradation of land and environment.
(b) Intensive subsistence agriculture: Mainly practised in densely populated areas of East and South-east Asia. There are two types of Intensive Subsistence Agriculture.
(I) Intensive subsistence agriculture dominated by wet paddy cultivation- practiced in areas with small land holdings and lesser use of machines mostly seer by family members. Manure is used and is dependent on monsoon for water. The yield per unit is high but productivity per person is low.
(ii)Intensive subsidence agriculture dominated by crops other than paddy: Due ho to difference in relief, climate, soil and other factors-paddy cannot be grown in all parts of monsoon Asia. Most of the agricultural practises are some as that i of the other except that irrigation is used. Wheat, soyabean, barley and sorghum are grown in Northern China, Manchuria, North Korea, North Japan and India.
Plantation Agriculture
•It is practised in large estates solely for the market. It was introduced by the Europeans in their colonies. It requires huge capital investment, managerial and technical support, scientific methods of cultivation, cheap labour and good transportation network for easy access to markets for export. It is mono-cropping. Tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane, banana, pineapples are the important plantation crops. Mostly the following are growr in:-
•Cocoa and coffee -in West Africa by the French.
•Tea-in India and Sri Lanka by the British.
• Rubber -in Malaysia by the British. s
•Sugarcane and Banana in West Indies by British
•Coconut and Sugarcane in Philippines by Spanish and Americans.
•Coffee Fazenda -in Brazil by Europeans.
•Sugarcane-Indonesia.
Extensive Commercial Grain Farming
•Practised in the interior areas of the semi arid lands of the mid latitudes-with low population and large farms.
•Highly mechanized, capital intensive and market oriented. Yield per person is high but yield per acre is low.
•It is practised in the steppes of Eurasia, Prairies of America and Canada, Pampas of Argentina, Velds of South Africa and Downs of Australia and Canterbury plains of New Zealand.
•Main crops grown are wheat, barley and corn.
Mixed Farming
•In this type of agriculture, equal emphasis is given to both crop cultivation and animal husbandry. Practised in farms of moderate size. In order to maintain fertility, crop rotation and inter cropping are practised. Capital investment is required to procure farm machinery, fertilizer, other equipments etc.
•Crops like wheat, barley, fats, rye, maize, fodder and roof crops are grown along with animals like cattle, sheep, poultry. Practised in developed parts of N.W. Europe, N. America, Eurasia and Temperate altitude of S. Hemisphere.
Dairy Farming
It is a very advanced type of rearing of milk animals-highly capital intensive. Special emphasis is laid on cattle breeding, health care and veterinary services. It requires labour for feeding and milching. Urban and Industrial areas provide market. Practised in N.W. Europe (largest), Canada (2nd) S.E. Australia and New Zealand (3rd belt)No off season in this type of agriculture
Mediterranean Agriculture
It is mainly practised in areas around the Mediterranean Sea with typically Mediterranean climate-(hot dry summer and wet and mild winters). It is highly specialized commercial agriculture.
•Viticulture or grape cultivation is the speciality of this region. High quality grapes are used for wine production and inferior grapes are dried into raisins and currants.
•Valuable crops such as fruits and vegetables are grown in winters for European and N. American market.
•Areas of this type of agriculture are N. Africa from Tunisia to Atlantic coast, S. California, Central Chile, S.W. parts of South Africa and S.W. parts of Australia.
Market Gardening and Horticulture
It specializes in cultivation of high value crops like vegetables, fruits, flowers for urban market.
Farms are located near market centre with transportation links. Requires both capital and labour for irrigation, fertilize, green housing etc. Densely populated areas in developed regions of N.W. Europe, N.E. USA and Mediterranean region practise this type of agriculture
The regions where farmers specialize in vegetables only, the farming is known as truck farming. The distance of truck farms from the market is governed by the distance that a truck can cover overnight. Hence the name is truck farming.
#Factory Farming: Practised in industrial areas of western Europe and N. America. Requires heavy capital investment. In this type, livestock, poultry and cattle rearing is done in stalls and pens, fed on manufactured feedstuff and carefully supervised against diseases. Emphasis is on breed selection and scientific breeding.
#On the basis of farming organization (type of ownership and government policies), farming is categorized as (a) Cooperative (b) Collective
(a) Cooperative: Group of farmers pool in their resources voluntarily for more efñicient and profitable farming Cooperative societies help in processing inputs, selling products and in processing quality products at cheaper rates. Cooperative movement started over a century ago and is successful in Denmark, Netherlands,
Belgium, Sweden, Italy etc. In Denmark every farmer is a member of a Cooperative In India, AMUL is a successful story of cooperative (milk and milk products]
(b) Collective Farming: It is based on social ownership of the means of production and collective labour. Collective labour or the model of Kolkhoz was introduced in former USSR. Farmers pool their resources like land, livestock and labour and was allowed to retain small portion for their own use. Yearly targets are fixed by governments and qoe the produce is sold to the state at fixed prices. Excess product is distributed among members or sold in markets. Farmers pay taxes on farm produce and hired machinery Farmers are paid according to the nature of work and good work was rewarded.
Mining
Extraction of minerals from the earth's surface or beneath the surface for useful purposes is known as mining. The discovery of minerals is reflected in all ages of history in terms of Copper Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. The actual development of mining began with the industrial revolution and its importance is continuously rising.
Depending on mode of occurrence and nature of ore, mining is of two types:
(i) Surface mining
(ii) Underground (shaft) mining,
Factors Affecting Mining Activity
Profitability depends on two factors: (a) Physical factors include size, grade and mode of occurrence of deposits.
(b) Economic factors include demand, technology and capital available to develop infrastructure etc.
Methods of Mining
•Depending on the mode of occurrence and the nature of ore, mining is of two types:
(i) Surface Mining (ii) Underground mining.
•(I)Surface mining (open cast) is the easiest and cheapest way of mining minerals close to the surface. Overhead cost is low.
•(ii) Underground mining (shaft method) is used when one lies deep below the surface. It requires lifts, drills, haulage vehicles, ventilation system for safety and efficient movement of people and materials. Risky method: poisonous gases, fires, floods may occur.
•Developed economies are retreating from mining, processing and refining stages of production due to higher labour costs, while the developing countries with large labour force and striving for higher standard of living are becoming more important.
We hope CBSE/MP Board Class 12th "Geography" Chapter 5 "Primary Activities" will help you.
Written By - HIMANSHU SHARMA