Date post: | 15-Jul-2015 |
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The primary sector of the economy is the sector making direct
use of natural resources. This includes agriculture, forestry and
fishing, mining and extraction of oil and gas (without
transformation -> secondary sector).
- Over a third of the world’s active
population works in the primary
sector. In most of the countries,
however, this number is steadily
decreasing.
- The economic importance of each
sector of the economy is reflected in
the GDP. The primary sector
contributes with approximately 4%
(2008).
● Developed countries: 1-6% active population, less than 4% GDP. High
productivity, technical advances, mechanization.
● Developing countries: 50% active population, more than 10% GDP.
● Non developed countries: 80% active population, more than 50% GDP.
In both: low productivity, traditional farming methods .
Gross Domestic Product: The monetary value of all the finished
goods and services produced within a country's borders in a
specific time period, though GDP is usually calculated on an
annual basis. It includes all of private and public consumption,
government outlays, investments and exports less imports that
occur within a defined territory.
Agriculture is the science or occupation of cultivating land and
rearing crops whose objective is the human or animal
consumption, or to obtain other raw materials for the industry.
It is practised all over the world, but it is conditioned by human
and physical factors that determine its exploitation.
They can be both, human factors, or
physical factors.
Physical factors can make agriculture
possible or impossible… and they are:
● Climate: different climatic zones
(temperatures, precipitations)
● Landscape: relief (gradient and
altitude)
● Soil: grain size, porosity,
composition...
● Population size
● Farming techniques (mechanization
and fertilizers)
● Final destination of production
(subsistence, commercial)
● Globalization (competition)
● Agricultural policies (governments
influence)
● Environmental policies
What is commercial agriculture?
It is a large-scale production of crops for sale, intended for widespread
distribution to wholesaler or retail outlet.
And subsistence agriculture?
It is farming that provides for the farm family's needs with little surplus
for marketing.
Its main goal is to obtain maximum profit. To do so, it has several ways:
● Specialization: just one crop.
● Mechanization: new machines (less time to do the work)
● Modern farming methods, including:
o Fertilizers
o High-yield seeds
o Greenhouses, artificial soils, new irrigation systems
o Biotechnology (genetically modified crops)
How do subsidies affect
prices?
Only rich countries give
subsidies to their farmers
so they are in advantage
over the poor countries
that are unable to
compete with them.
In less developed countries (developing and undeveloped), agriculture is
very important.
It has two different types:
● Traditional agriculture
● Plantation agriculture
It is a type of subsistence agriculture whose main goal is to feed the
family.
Characteristics:
● Small plots
● Extensive polyculture
● Primitive farming techniques, manual labour
● Low productivity
● Strong dependence on physical factors
Plantations are large farms or estates usually located in tropical areas
and in less developed countries. It is a commercial agriculture, meaning
that its objective is to get a profit. Monoculture is usual because it gives
a higher productivity.
The typical crops are cotton, tobacco, coffee, tea, sugarcane…
Its origin is in the former colonies (by Spain and Portugal, 16th to 19th
centuries)
Characteristics:
● Globalization has increased the number of plantations
● They are controlled by foreign companies
● High productivity
● Monoculture
● It is a commercial agriculture that requires:
o large extensions of land
o large capital investment
o good transport network
o abundant cheap labour
o modern machinery and techniques
Multinational companies have a series of benefits in less developed
countries:
● Lower production costs
● Lower purchase prices (compared with developed countries)
However it also brings some benefits for these countries:
● Jobs creation (it stimulates their economy)
● New infrastructures
● New farming techniques are introduced
But, they also have some problems:
● Profits go to foreign countries
● Environmental impacts (intense exploitation)
● Local workers have low standards
● Small farmers can’t compete
● Dependence on world’s prices make them weak (problems of
unemployment and poverty).
It consists of raising animals for food or for economic purposes: meat,
milk, eggs, honey, leather, etc. Some animals are also used as a source
of labour or for breeding.
The most common are: cattle, sheep and pigs.
It is the breeding and raising of livestock for marketing or exhibition.
Some farms concentrate exclusively on it, others combine crops and
stock-breeding: crops are used to feed cattle, and their manure is used
to fertilize land.
New technologies and science had achieved two important
improvements:
● Selective breeding
● Systems for cooling and freezing (distribution)
There are two different ways in farming: intensive and extensive farming.
● EXTENSIVE LIVESTOCK FARMING
It is usually developed in areas with low agricultural productivity. It is
practised in both, developed and developing countries.
Characteristics: large farms, use of natural pastures, low productivity,
cattle or sheep are common.
It depends on the country if it is intended for sale or subsistence.
This is also called industrial livestock farming and it is typical of
developed countries.
Characteristics:
● Specialization in one species
● High productivity
● Large investments
● stabled or semi-stabled
● Intended for sale
● Poultry, pigs and cattle are common.
Forestry is the science or work of cultivating, maintaining, and
developing forests.
Forests provide products such as wood, rubber or cork.
Wood production is conditioned by the climate.
Most wood comes from rainforest and tropical forests, and northern
temperate forests.
It is the process of planting new trees in areas where they have been
removed by cutting or destroyed by fire, disease, etc.
Agricultural landscapes are landscapes that have been modified (not
natural). Human activity related to agrarian activities have created
different agricultural landscapes.
This variety is caused by different factors:
● Size of the plots
● Crop production systems
● Crop diversity
Plots influence in the landscape in different ways:
● Number of plots: one or more plots form an exploitation (1 owner)
● Size:
o Openfield (big fields, no fences)
o Bocage (small fields, fenced plots)
● Shape:
o Regular
o Irregular
It refers to the way in which a cultivation is obtained.
-We can distinguish between dry and irrigated lands, because in the
irrigated agriculture we need additional infrastructure to irrigate plots
(canals, channels, sprinklers...).
-And we can also distinguish between intensive and extensive agriculture:
● Intensive: modern techniques and high yield in developed countries.
● Extensive: part in fallow.
Monoculture is found when there is just one crop cultivated.
Polyculture is found when there are more than one crop cultivated.
In general, a rural area is a geographic area that is located outside cities and
towns. Whatever is not urban is considered rural.
Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements.
Agricultural areas are commonly rural, though so are others such as forests.
Different countries have varying definitions of "rural" for statistical and
administrative purposes.
Rural habitat refers to the different kinds of settlements, and it is part of the
agricultural landscape.
In general, we can distinguish two types of habitat:
● Scattered: houses are among the fields.
● Concentrated: houses are grouped together.
These are more prevalent for different reasons:
● Easy access to common services
● Favourable locations: places with easier access to water, good soil,
plains, sunny slopes…
● Good transportation infrastructures
Fishing is the activity of catching aquatic animals. It is part of the
primary sector of the economy.
75% of the total world catch is for human consumption.
25% is used as raw material for other industries, such as fishmeal (used
for diets for domestic animals, or as organic fertilizer) , or oil.
Fishing types are classified by where they take place:
● Coastal fishing
● Inshore fishing
● Offshore fishing
Coastal fish inhabit the sea between the shoreline and the edge of the
continental shelf. The continental shelf is usually less than 200 metres
deep. Coastal fish can be contrasted with ocean fish, which inhabit the
oceans beyond the continental shelves.
Coastal fish are the most abundant in the world.
It uses traditional methods.
It is mainly for self-consumption or sale
at local markets.
It is carried out near the coast in small or medium size boats.
The boats use refrigerated compartments or ice to preserve the catch.
It takes place at sea, on large “factory-ships”.
Modern techniques are used.
They usually stay at sea for weeks.
Some fishing techniques lead to the disappearance of many marine
species. They damage the marine environment.
Fishing grounds are areas where fish naturally concentrate.
The best ones are along continental shelves.
Access to fishing grounds is controlled by international maritime laws.
Coastal states have exclusive legal rights to marine resources up to 370 km
from their coasts. This is called the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Governments must make agreements to fish in another country’s EEZ.
Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms
such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. It involves cultivating
freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, and can be
contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the harvesting of wild fish.