21-12-2012, 02:35 PM
Agriculture
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Primary activities include all those connected
with extraction and production of natural resources.
Agriculture, fishing and gathering are good examples.
Secondary activities are concerned with the processing
of these resources. Manufacturing of steel, baking of
bread and weaving of cloth are examples of this activity.
Tertiary activities provide support to the primary and
secondary sectors through services. Transport, trade,
banking, insurance and advertising are examples of
tertiary activities.
Agriculture is a primary activity. It includes growing
crops, fruits, vegetables, flowers and rearing of livestock.
In the world, 50 per cent of persons are engaged in
agricultural activity. Two-thirds of India’s population is
still dependent on agriculture.
Favourable topography of soil and climate are vital
for agricultural activity. The land on which the crops
are grown is known as arable land (Fig. 4.1). In the map
you can see that agricultural activity is concentrated in
those regions of the world where suitable factors for the
growing of crops exist.
TYPES OF FARMING
Farming is practised in various ways across the world.
Depending upon the geographical conditions, demand
of produce, labour and level of technology, farming can
be classified into two main types. These are subsistence
farming and commercial farming.
Subsistence Farming
This type of farming is practised to meet the needs of the
farmer’s family. Traditionally, low levels of technology
and household labour are used to produce on small
output. Subsistence farming can be further classified
as intensive subsistence and primitive subsistence
farming.
In intensive subsistence agriculture the farmer
cultivates a small plot of land using simple tools and
more labour. Climate with large number of days with
sunshine and fertile soils permit growing of more than
one crop annually on the same plot. Rice is the main
crop. Other crops include wheat, maize, pulses and
oilseeds. Intensive subsistence agriculture is prevalent
in the thickly populated areas of the monsoon regions
of south, southeast and east Asia.
Nomadic herding is practised in the semi-arid and
arid regions of Sahara, Central Asia and some parts of
India, like Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir.
In this type of farming, herdsmen move from place
to place with their animals for fodder and water,
along defined routes. This type of movement
arises in response to climatic constraints and
terrain. Sheep, camel, yak and goats are most
commonly reared. They provide milk, meat,
wool, hides and other products to the herders
and their families.
Commercial Farming
In commercial farming crops are grown and animals
are reared for sale in market. The area cultivated and
the amount of capital used is large. Most of the
work is done by machines. Commercial farming
includes commercial grain farming, mixed
farming and plantation agriculture (Fig 4.5).
In commercial grain farming crops are grown
for commercial purpose. Wheat and maize are
common commercially grown grains. Major areas
where commercial grain farming is pracised are
temperate grasslands of North America, Europe
and Asia. These areas are sparsely populated
with large farms spreading over hundreds of
hectares. Severe winters restrict the growing season
and only a single crop can be grown.