Economic Impact of the Primary Sector: Agriculture to Fishing
The Primary Sector
Today, the economic importance of the primary sector has decreased. This sector only contributes 4% of the world’s production. In developed countries, it accounts for between 1 and 6%, and in developing countries, 50%. In very poor countries, it can reach 80%, and they often use traditional methods, resulting in low productivity.
The agricultural revolution shifted subsistence agriculture to commercial agriculture, which predominates in developed countries. The main goal is to obtain maximum profit. Different ways to achieve this include:
- Specialization: Only one product is cultivated on a farm. This simplifies labor and the use of machinery, increasing productivity.
- Mechanization: Machines replace humans, so work is done in less time.
- Modern Farming Methods: Fertilizers, high-yield seeds, greenhouses, artificial soils, and biotechnology produce varieties of genetically modified crops, such as canola and maize.
Commercial agriculture requires large investments, but it increases productivity.
Benefits: Lower prices, efficient marketing, and specialized transportation.
Costs: Fertilizers cause pollution, the quality of food may be endangered, and the soil can become polluted.
Subsidies: If a country provides subsidies, people tend to buy domestically produced products. Otherwise, they may buy imported products, reducing farmers’ earnings.
Agriculture in Less Developed Countries
Agriculture plays an important role in less developed countries. There are two main types:
Traditional Agriculture
This is a type of subsistence agriculture practiced on small plots of land, primarily to feed one family.
- Polyculture: It is used extensively, cultivating various crops simultaneously to provide food throughout the year.
- Intense Manual Labor: Very primitive farming techniques and tools are used, resulting in low productivity.
- Strong Dependence on Physical Factors: If the weather is bad, crops are not abundant.
Plantation Agriculture
Plantation agriculture takes place on large farms or estates, typically in less developed tropical countries. Economic globalization has increased the number of plantations in developing countries, often owned by multinationals.
It is a type of commercial agriculture requiring large lands, good transport networks, etc. Monoculture is common.
- Production costs are low because workers are paid low wages.
- Purchase prices are low in relation to developed countries.
There are advantages to less developed countries, such as job creation and improved transport. However, there are also problems:
- Plantation crops are often exported.
- Many farmers have to leave their land.
- Exploitation becomes very intensive.
- If prices drop, wages also drop.
Livestock Farming
Livestock farming consists of raising animals for food or economic purposes, such as meat, milk, etc. Some animals are also used as a source of labor or for breeding, for example, cattle, sheep, and pigs.
New technologies have significantly increased production. However, mechanization and modern technology are not used equally in livestock farming. There are two main types:
Extensive: Practiced in both developed and developing countries.
- Large farms where animals live in natural pastures.
- Requires little investment in labor, but productivity is low.
- In developed countries, products are sold, while in less developed countries, they are often consumed by the farming family.
Intensive: Common in developed countries.
- Farms specialize in one animal species.
- Large investments in facilities, animal feed, etc., but productivity is high.
- Animals are raised in stables where they are controlled. They eat forage plants, and when there is not enough grass, they eat animal feed.
- Production is sold in markets.
The Forest Industry
Forestry is the management and cultivation of forests and their resources, such as wood, cork, and rubber. Wood is the most important because it is used for furniture, paper, etc. Wood production depends on climate conditions. Most wood comes from rainforests or tropical forests, where trees grow rapidly and where firs and pines are abundant. Uncontrolled exploitation is a serious threat, so many places practice silviculture, which aims to control exploitation and balance forest use and conservation. Reforestation is used to produce new forests, called plantation forests.
Agricultural Landscapes
Elements that define the landscape include size, crop production system, and crop diversity. Farmland may consist of one or more plots owned by a farmer.
Crop production systems refer to the method of production. Intensive agriculture aims for maximum yield. Extensive agriculture exploits part of the plot, dedicating the rest to regeneration and fertility. The yield depends on the cultivation method: mechanized or traditional.
In dry farming, crops are irrigated by rainwater. In irrigated farming, artificial methods are used.
Crop diversity depends on the number of different types of crops. Monocultures involve one crop, while polycultures involve several.
Rural Habitats
In a scattered community, houses are distributed among the fields, next to homes.
In a concentrated community, buildings are grouped together to form villages or towns.
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of catching aquatic animals. There are several types:
Coastal Fishing: Near the coast in small boats, using traditional methods, for self-consumption or sale at local markets.
Inshore Fishing: Out near the coast in small and medium-sized boats. The fishing tackle depends on the fish being caught. Fish are saved in refrigerated compartments or ice for preservation.
Offshore/Commercial Fishing: Large factory ships with modern instruments. Many ships have facilities to clean, cut, package, etc., allowing them to stay at sea for weeks.
Some fishing techniques are causing the disappearance of certain species.
Fish are caught in fishing grounds, areas where fish naturally concentrate, often around continental shelves. Access to fishing grounds along the coasts is controlled by maritime law.
Aquaculture is the breeding of fish in controlled environments. Most salmon, etc., come from fish farms. Aquaculture increases the supply of fish and seafood and helps prevent extinction.