Unit 6 The primary sector

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.

Exercises 1 and 2 on page 67.

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

Investigate: Exercise 3 on page 69.

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.

Exercises 1 to 3 on page 71. (Web Task for in Edmodo)

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

Polyculture is the raising at the same time and place of more than one

species of plant or animal.

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).

Exercises 1, 2 and 3 on page 73 in your notebooks.

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 branch of forestry that is concerned with the cultivation of trees.

It is the process of planting new trees in areas where they have been

removed by cutting or destroyed by fire, disease, etc.

Exercise 1 on page 75.

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

Exercises 1, 2a and 3 on page 77.

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.

Exercises 1 and 2 on page 78, and exercises 1 and 2 on page 79.