Primary Activities

Primary Activities: • Primary activities are those economic activities that directly involve the extraction and use of natural resources — from the land, water, forests, and minerals. • They form the first stage of the economic chain — producing raw materials for secondary (manufacturing) activities. • Main primary activities: Agriculture, animal husbandry, fishing, forestry, mining. Subsistence Farming vs. Commercial Farming: Subsistence Farming: • The farmer produces food primarily for the family's own consumption — with little or no surplus for sale. • Characteristics: - Small farm size (often less than 2 hectares). - Low use of inputs (fertilisers, machinery, HYV seeds). - Labour-intensive — family labour. - Low productivity per acre and per worker. - Practised to survive — not to profit. • Types: (a) Primitive Subsistence (Shifting Cultivation / Slash-and-Burn): - Practiced in rainforest and tropical areas (Amazon, Congo, Northeast India). - A plot is cleared by burning, farmed for 2–3 years, then abandoned to regenerate. - Called: Jhumming (Northeast India), Milpa (Central America), Roca (Brazil), Ladang (Southeast Asia). (b) Intensive Subsistence: - Dense populations on small plots — especially in monsoon Asia. - Very intensive use of land and labour — two or three crops per year on the same plot. - Wet rice cultivation in South, Southeast, and East Asia is the classic example. Commercial Farming: • Farming primarily to sell produce in the market for profit. • Characteristics: - Large farm size. - High use of inputs — machinery, HYV seeds, chemical fertilisers, pesticides. - Capital-intensive rather than labour-intensive. - High productivity per acre and per worker. - Specialist monocultures — farms specialise in one or two crops. • Types: Plantation agriculture (tea, coffee, rubber), mixed farming, dairy farming, grain farming (wheat belts of USA/Canada/Australia).

Plantation Agriculture: • Plantation agriculture is a type of commercial farming where a single crop is grown on large estates (plantations) for export. • It developed under colonial rule — European powers established plantations in tropical regions to grow cash crops for European markets. Key Characteristics: 1. Large estate: Plantations cover large areas — hundreds or thousands of hectares. 2. Single crop (monoculture): One primary crop dominates — tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane, cocoa, bananas, oil palm. 3. Capital-intensive: High investment in machinery, processing facilities, and infrastructure. 4. Market-oriented: The entire output is for sale (export). 5. Colonial legacy: Plantations were developed by European companies using local or imported cheap/slave labour. 6. Infrastructure: Plantations have their own roads, housing, schools, and processing factories. 7. Located in tropical/subtropical regions: Where climate is suitable for tropical crops. Examples: • Tea: Assam and Darjeeling (India), Sri Lanka, Kenya — grown on hill slopes with high rainfall. • Coffee: Brazil (world's largest producer), Colombia, Ethiopia. • Rubber: Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand — hot and humid tropical climate. • Sugarcane: Brazil, India, Cuba, Caribbean — tropical and subtropical. • Cocoa: Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria — humid equatorial Africa. • Oil Palm: Malaysia, Indonesia — equatorial. • Cotton: USA (historically, enslaved labour on Southern plantations). Problems with Plantation Agriculture: • Environmental: Deforestation (especially for palm oil in Indonesia/Malaysia). • Social: Historical exploitation of labour; low wages for workers; land alienation of indigenous communities. • Economic: Price volatility — single commodity exports make countries vulnerable to global commodity price swings. • Ecological: Monocultures deplete soil and are vulnerable to pests.

Mining: • Mining is the extraction of minerals and other geological materials from the Earth's crust — including metals (iron, copper, gold), fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas), and industrial minerals (limestone, gypsum). • Mining is a primary activity that supplies raw materials to manufacturing industries. Types of Mining: 1. Surface Mining (Open-cast / Open-pit): • Minerals located near the surface are extracted by removing the overlying rock and soil. • Used for: Coal (open-cast), iron ore, bauxite, copper, gold. • Cheaper than underground mining; safer for workers; but causes significant landscape damage. 2. Underground Mining (Shaft Mining): • Minerals deep below the surface are extracted through shafts and tunnels. • Used for: Deep coal seams, deep gold mines (South Africa's mines are among the world's deepest). • More expensive and hazardous than surface mining. 3. Drill Mining: • Used for liquid and gaseous minerals — oil and natural gas are extracted through drilling. • Offshore drilling: Oil platforms in the sea. Factors Affecting Location of Mining Activities: 1. Geological factors: • The location of mineral deposits is the primary determinant — you can only mine where minerals exist. • The grade (concentration) of the mineral: Low-grade deposits may not be economically viable to mine. 2. Economic factors: • Market price of the mineral: If the price is high enough, even low-grade or remote deposits become viable. • Cost of extraction: Deeper or more remote deposits are more expensive to mine. • Availability of capital and technology. 3. Infrastructure factors: • Transport: Railways, roads, and ports needed to move heavy ores. • Energy: Mining and processing require large amounts of electricity. • Water: Processing minerals often requires large water supplies. 4. Labour factors: • Availability of skilled and unskilled labour. • Labour costs vary — some mining operations move to low-wage countries. 5. Political and regulatory factors: • Government policies on mining licences, royalties, and environmental regulations. • Political stability: Companies avoid investing in politically unstable regions.