UNIT 4: THE PRIMARY SECTOR

1. UNIT 4: THE PRIMARY SECTOR

2. Contents • Theprimary sector today • Agrarianlandscapes • Human influenceontheagrarianlandscape • Agriculture in developedregions • Agriculture in lessdevelopedregions • Livestockfarming and fishing • Theprimary sector in Spain • Agrarianlandscapes in Spain

3. Keywords • Aquaculture: acuicultura. • Productivity: productividad. • Dispersedsettlement: poblamiento disperso (aldeas). • Nucleatedsettlement: nucleos de poblamiento (pueblos). • Primary sector: sector primario. • Livestockfarming: ganadería. • Forestry: explotación forestal. - Emergingcountries: países emergentes. - GDP: GrossDomesticProduct, thisisthevalue of allthegoods and servicesproduced in a country overoneyear. Itis a goodindicator of wealth. - Gradient: pendiente. • Intensivefarming: agricultura intensiva. • Extensivefarming: agricultura extensiva. • Commercialagriculure: agricultura comercial, destinada al mercado. • Agriculturalrevolution: revolución agraria, theagriculturalrevolutionsrefersto a rapidprocess of change in theownership and use of theland. • Rural exodus: éxodo rural. • Subsistenceagriculture: agricultura de subsistencia. • Plantations: plantaciones. • Globalization: globalización.

4. 1. Theprimary sector today In developed countries, between 1% and 5% of active population working in primary sector and less than 4% of the GDP. High productivity due to technology. In emerging and less developed countries, half of the population works in primary sector, which produces over 10% of the GDP, traditional farming methods. https://youtu.be/SbwXE3pqm-Y What is the primary sector? The primary sector involves activities that obtain base resources directly from nature (agriculture, livestock farming, forestry and fishing). Today agriculture is still vital to the economy of less developed countries. Before their economies expanded, most developed countries had an agricultural revolution with new techniques and technology. The importance of the primary sector today • 40% of the world active population works in the primary sector. • In 2012 the agricultural sector contributed about 3% of the world’s production (GDP), with great differences between regions:

7. 2. Agrarianlandscapes Both natural and human factorsshapeagrarianlandscapes. Themostimportantnatural factors are reflief, soil and climate. Reliefinfluencesagrarianlandscapesbecausit determines thetype of activitywich can be carriedout (altitude and gradient). Soil. Plantsabsorbthenutrientsfromthesoilthattheyneedtogrow (porosity and chemical and biologicalcomposition). Climate. Eachplantrequirescertainconditions of temperature, sunlight and moisture. In human history, peoplehaveselectedtheplantsthattheycultivate, choosingthosethat are suitablyadaptedtothe local climate. There are fourmainclimaticfactors: extreme cold, excessiveheat, humidity and dryconditions. Agricultureisalmostimpossibletopractise at thePoles, desertsor tropical rainforestswithoutthe use of expensivemoderntechnology.

8. 3. Human influenceontheagrarianspace Agricultural holdings Agricultural holdings are unit of agriculturalproductionwith a single owner, whichmay be either a companyor a person. Theirmainactivityisagriculture, livestockfarmingorforestry. A holding consists of oneor more plots (pieces of lands). Theshape, size and borders of theplotsinfluencesthelandscape. Theplots can be small (lessthan 1 hectare), medium (between 1 and 10) orlarge (more than 10). Theymayalso be regular or irregular shape. Open field, Whentheplots are notsurroundedbyfences, theplots are notseparatedfromeachother (shouthernSpain). Whentheplots are separatedbyfencesorwalls and they are linkedbyroads, they are closedfieldstypicallyfound in northernSpain.

9. Types of farming Farmingmay be intensiveorextensive: • Intensivefarminguses thelandtothemaximum of itscapacity. Modern techniques are used in developedcountries (highproductivity), whilelessdevelopedcountries use largenumber of farmworkers. • Extensivefarmingisthecultivation of cropsonlargeareas of lands, new countrieswithlarge and flat fields. Twodifferenttypes of wateringsystemare used: • Irrigationcrops, wateristakenfrom artificial sources. • Rainfedcrops, thissystemdependsonrainfall, butitisoftenirrigated in times of drought. Oneor more cropsmay be grownonanagricultural holding, monoculture (single crop) orpolyculture (severaltypes of crop). In livestockfamingthesize, form and boundaries of theland, and thewayitisused, shapetheagrarianlandscape. In forestrythespecies of tree (connifers, hardwood, etc.) defines thelandscape.

10. 4. Agriculture in developedregions Commercialagriculture Theagriculturalrevolutionthatbegan in Europe at theend of 18th centurystarted a transitionfrom a subsistancefarmingto a largescalecommercialagriculture. Themaingoal of commercialagricultureistoobtain a maximumprofit. Thisisachieved in differentways: Specialization. Usually, onlyoneproductiscultivatedon a farm. Thissimplifiesthe use of machinery and labour and increasesproductivity. Mechanization. Machines partlyreplaces human labour. Thisspeeds up theproduction and reduces labourcosts. Modern farmingmethods. Fertilizers, greenhouses, new varieties of geneticallymodifiedcrops. Storage, transport and commercialisation. Todayproducts can be carriedlongdistances at a lowcost. Commercialagriculturerequiresinvestmentsbutincreasesproductivity and profits.

12. 5. Agriculture in lessdevelopedregions What is traditional agriculture? Traditional agriculture is a type of subsistence agriculture, which is practised on small plots of land. Families farm the land to obtain food for themselves and local market. Traditional agriculture has the follownig characteristics: - Polyculture: Farmers cultivate several crops at the same time to make sure there is enough food all year round. - Manual labour: Families often provide most of the workforce, using old farming techniques and implements and so on low productivity. - Physical factors: Crops are only abundant when the weather is good. Types of traditional agriculture - Shifting cultivation: Trees are cut down and burned in the rainforest, and the ash is used to fertilise the soil. After few years the soil is not fertile and farmers move to new areas. - Sedentary rainfed cultivation: This is practiced in savannah regions using a system of rotation. - Irrigated monsoon cultivation: This is practiced in Asia where the monsoon rains cause extensive flooding (rice, many workers).

13. Plantationagriculture Plantations are largecommercialestates, which are usuallylocated in lessdeveloped tropical countries, mainly in Africa, Central and South America, India and south-east Asia. Theearliestplantationswereestablished in the 16 th and 19 thcenturiesbyEuropeans. Cropscould be obtainedthatdidnotgrow in Europe, such as cocoa, coffeorcotton. Thenomber and size of plantations in developingcountries has grown as a result of economicglobalization. Plantations are nowmostlycontrolledbymultinationalcompanies. Plantationagricultureis a form of commercialagriculture. Itrequireslargelands, capital investment, goodtransportnetwork, abundantcheaplabour and modernmachinery and techniques. Othercharacteristics are highprodutivity, monoculture and productionforexport.

15. 6. Livestockfarming and fishing Livestock farming Livestock farming consists of raising animals for food (meat, milk, eggs) or other economic purposes (like leather). Cattle, sheep and pigs are the most common animal spicies. Mechanization and modern technologies are very important today for livestock (selective breeding, systems for cooling on transport, etc). - Extensive farming: both developed and less developed countries. Large farms, natural pastures, little investment in labour or feed for animals, but productivity is low. It is found in areas with large pastures such as Brazil or United States. - Intensive farming: developed countries. Specialize in a single animal spiecies, large investments, high productivity, animals in stables oe semi-stable. Typical livestock includes cattle, pigs and poultry, production for the market, found in Western Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zeland. This type of livestock farming has led to increase food production but it also damages the environment (pollution, water, soil).

16. Fishing today Fishing is the catching of fish and other animals from seas, rivers or lakes. The world fishing industry has expended in recent decades and today 85% of the catches are for human consumption. Much of the fish consumed in developed countries is imported from emerging and less developed countries. Types of fishing - Coastal fishingtakes place very near the coast in small boats using traditional methods. The catches are for home consumption or local market. - Inshore fishing is carried out near the coast in small or medium-size boats. The boats use refrigerated compartments or ice to preserve the fish and deliver their catch each day. - Offshore fishing is practised out at sea. It uses large ships equipped with modern technical instruments which can be detect the schoals of fish. Many ships have installations where the fish are cleaned, cut up, packaged and frozen. Yhey are factory ships and they can be at sea for several weeks.

17. Fishing grounds Fish are caught in fishing grounds, areas in which fish naturally concentrate. The best fishing grounds are along continental shelves, where nutrients are deposited by rivers. There are restrictions on where fishing can take place, which is controlled by international legislation allowing coastal countries the right to fish. At present, fishing catches are excessive in relation to the amount of fish available. This leads to overfishing and the danger od different spiciesdisapearing. Governments have adopted different measures to encourage sustainable fishing (ban fishing techniques, limit catches or or periods of fishing not allowed). Many countries practise aquaculture, which is the breeding of fish in controlled environments. Most of the salmon and mussels consumed today come from fish farms. Aquaculture increases the supply of fish and sea food, and prevent spicies from becoming extinct

18. 7. The primary sector in Spain • Fishing: Spain has thesecondlargestfleet in the EU and thevolume of itscatchs in thesecondlargest. Itisalsotheworld’ssecondlargestconsumer of fish. Spain’sfishingindustrywasmodernisedafterentryinto EU, buttoday, traditional and commercialfishingco-exist. The primary sector This sector has declined in Spain since mid-20th century. Today, 4,2% of the active population works in this sector, which constitutes 3% of GDP. Strenghts: Spain has one of the strongest primary sector in the EU. This sector provides raw materials to industry and food industry contributes around 15% to Spanish exports. Weaknesses: ageing farmers, large number of small and medium holdings, low productivity as a result of low investment. - Agriculture, leading role in Spanish primary sector (60% of total agrarian production). Spanish agriculture is characterised by the diversity of products. It includes fruit and vegetables, vines, olives and cereals. - Livestock farming: Stabled intensive livestock production predominates in Spain. Holdings are characterised by strong investment, mechanization and high output. It contributes 35% of the value of the total agrarian production. Spain has the second highest number of sheep, pigs and goats in the EU.

19. - Regional diversity: In recentyears , theagricultural sector has benefitedfrominvestmentbythe CAP (CommonAgriculturalPolicy) of the EU. However, notalltheregionshavebenefitedtothesameextent. TheMediterranean and Andalusiancoastshavefound new marketsfortheirfruits and vegetables. Butotherproducts, such as thecereals and vines of the interior, havedeclined, and thoseregionshavebeenpartlydepopulated.

22. 8. Agrarianlandscapes in Spain Cereals, vegetables, fruits and industrial plants are grown in irrigatedareasnearrivers. In high flat areasthereisextensivecultivation of cereals , combinedwithextensivesheepfarming. Dehesas (pastureland) found in Extremadura. Finally, rainfedcultivation (vines, olives) isfound in areasbetweenmountainranges. The landscape of the Canary islands On the Canary Islands, agriculture is influenced by mountain reflief, volcanic soil and warm climate. Settlement is nucleated. On coastal areas export products as potatoes, bananas or tomatoes are cultivated. There are also plantations of mango or pineapple and greenhouses. Inland traditional agriculture (grapes, potatoes, vegetables). The mountain landscape It occupies the highest altitudes of the Iberian Peninsula. There is extensive livestock farming (cattle and sheep) and also forestry. The relief and climate do not favour cultivation, only in low valley areas. The landscape in the humid, oceanic climate This is found in the Cantabrian coast, Galicia and also in the western Pyrenees. Settlement is mainly dispersed and closed small holdings perdominate. The natural environment is not favourable to agriculture but favours livestock farming and forestry. The landscape in the warm Mediterranean climate This is found in the Mediterranean coast, in the Guadalquivir valley and Extremadura. Settlements are nucleated. In the south both large and small open holdings, and small closed holdings in the Mediterranean coasts. Rainfed cultivation in the Guadalquivir valley (wheat, wine, olives) and irrigated cultivation is widespread everywhere (fruit and vegetables). The landscape in the continentalizedMediterranean climate This landscape occupies much of inland Spain. Settlements are nucleated. Small holdings predominates in the Duero and Ebro valleys, while there are both large and small holdings in drier areas.

23. HOMEWORK!!! • Define: primary sector, plantationagiculture, commercialagriculture, traditionalagriculture, GPD. • Describe in yourownwordsagriculture in lessdevelopedcountries. 3. Describe whytheprimary sector is so important. 4. Describe brieflymapon page six (types of agriculture). 5. Which are thedifferencesbetweenintensive and extensivefarming? • Explainwidelythebenefits and problems of commercialfarming. • Explainwidelythebenefits and problems of plantationfarming. • Explainwidelytraditionalagriculture. • Explainthemostimortantfeatures of commercialfarming. • Describe widelyintensivelivestockfarming. • Describe brieflydifferenttypes of fishing. • Whatisaquaculture? Describe itbriefly. • Describe widelyagriculturenowadays in Spain. • Describe widelyfishingnowadays in Spain. • Explainwidelypicturesfound in pages 20 and 21 aboutSpanishlandscapes.

24. Made by Francisco Javier AbadesAnsián History teacher at Castilla y León (Spain) Feel free to study or share this presentation