PRIMARY ACTIVITIES

INTRODUCTION

Human economic activities are adversely affected by the physical and social environment. These economic activities are the basis of economic development of any country. Physical environment includes geographical location, drainage system, land, soil type, natural vegetation and mineral resources etc.

 On the other hand social environment concern with the urbanization, industry, trade, population etc.It is well known that Physical and social condition are differ from place to place in the various parts of world. Sohuman economic activities are also differing from place to place.For example some areas are dominated by primary activities and others are dominated by secondary or tertiary activities etc.Human economic activities have been divided into five parts as give below:

PRIMARY ACTIVITIES

Primary activities are directly related with the obtaining product from nature. Activities such as hunting of animals, obtaining minerals from the earth crust, and gathering of products from plants are come under primary activities. The workersoccupiedthese economic activities are also known as red-collar workers.

SECONDARY ACTIVITIES

Secondary activitiesare related with the increasing and processing the utility of products of the primary activities such as production of sugar from sugarcane, production of textiles by processing fibers obtained from animals or plants, furniture from wood and production of steel goods by processing iron ore.Thus all manufacturing industries are secondary activities.These activities are highly developed in developed countries. The people occupied these activities are also known as blue-collar workers.

TERTIARY ACTIVITIES

These activities are related to the providing services. The examples of tertiary activities are trade and commerce, transportation, and communication.The workers engaged in these activities are also known as pink-collar workers. 

QUATERNARY ACTIVITIES 

These activities includes prof development, information proce government services.The workers.

QUINARY ACTIVITIES

This activity includes researchers these workers are called gold-coll

 MEANING OF PRIMRY ACTIVITIES

Primary activities include agriculture, mining, fishing, forestry and gathering. These activities are anually important in less developing countries of the world. It is the sector of an economy making direct use of natural resources It the larger sector in developing countries Primaryactivities canbe classified as give below;

 Gathering

 Agriculture

 Hunting

 Mining

 Fishing

 Forestry 

CONCEPT OF PRIMARY ACTIVITIES

 Primary activities or primary industry comprise all economic activities based on the

axtraction or harvest of goods from the natural environment. It is vital not only for the economy

but olso for the sustenance of the human race. One can even say that primary economic

activities from the ‘buitding block’ of other economic activities. These activitiescontrast with

the secondary activities that produseconsumar goods and the tertiary sector that offers servise.

Most of the products extracted from the primary economic activities are used in other industries

where theybecome factors of production. Primary activity includes those occupations which are

closely related to man’s natural environment. Gathering hunting, fishing, lumbering, animal

rearing. Farming and mining are some of important examples of primary activities.

LASSIFICATION AND IMPORTANCE OF PRIMARY ACTIVITIES

CLASSIFICATION OF PRIMARY ACTIVITIES: 

The classification of economic activities into primary, tertiary and secondary is useful on account of the information it providrs on how and where the people of a country ore employe.

 Primary activity includes thoueaccupations which are closely related to men’s natural environment, gathering, hunting, fishing, lumbering, animal rearing. Primary and mining are some of important examples of primaryactivities.

IMPORTANCE OF PRIMARY ACTIVITIES:

 Primary activities means agricultural sector. In a country like india the main source of income even today is agriculture. 

The well being of other two sectors depands upon agriculture. Primary sector provides the base for the other sectors of the economythe primary activities fulfils the demand of row material needed by secondary activities for their operations.

Gathering: Gathering is one of the primary activities and is the oldest occupation of human being. Gathering is an occupation which includes the collection of different things from the forest resources. 

There are many parts in the world where man is dependent on this occupation. It is the simplest occupation of mankind. Primitive gathering, the lowest order of economicactivities, is fading rapidly from the face of the earth, and is currently practiced y only a fewthousand people (John W. AlexandTypes of gathering

Gathering may be divided into two parts:

A. Subsistence gathering:

This is widely spread in the areas of Amazon, equatorial region, Kalahari deserts and mountain region of the world.Objectives of subsistence gathering aregathering of food products, grass for home, wood, leatheretc.

B. Commercial gathering

-on the basis of forest characteristics it is classified into two parts:Commercial gathering in Tropical forest:

Commercial gathering is widely spread in Tropical forest. These areas are known for evergreen hard wood forest. These are found in the areas of south and Middle America, middle Africa and south – East Asia . The major products of Tropical forest are fruit, chickle, nuts, fibers’,

drugs, tanning materials and leaf etc.

■ Fibers –fibersare obtained from plants growing in thesavannas and tropical forests.

Some examples of fibers are a Toquillafiber which is gathered from toquillapalm in Ecuador, Panama and Colombia. Toquillafiber is used for making the well-known Panama hats.

■ Gums and Resins- these are obtained from tropical forests.Lata, chickleare collected from tropical rainforests.

■ Chickle-Chickleis used for making chewing gums.This product is obtained from the sap of the Zapote trees. These trees are mostly found in the tropical rain forests lies in Southern Mexico and British Honduras to Brazil.

■ Rubber- This is an important activity.This is done in tropical forests of western Africa and southern America.

■ Nuts and seeds- Nuts and seeds are obtained from the tropical rainforests.

Variousspecies of the tropical rain forests produce nuts. Theseare used for food and a  variety of other purpose by the natives. A number of types of nuts find a good export market too.It is well known that coconuts have been gathered for food and drink for a long time. On the other hand, several of the nuts give oils.

■ Drugs- besides the nuts and seeds the forest also provideothersproducts used as drugs. Such as Camphor and quinine.

■ Tanning materials – Forest alsoprovides tanning material. Mainly tanning is obtained form the bark and leaves of the mangrove trees. Sub- tropical and temperate region it is lies in Australia, Europe, Asiaandnorth America. Commercial gathering is less developed inSub- tropical and temperate region. Given below are the major product which gathered from these areas.

■ Tanning materials- these are the most important products of gathering activity obtained fromSub- tropical and temperate region.Tanning industry has developed in many parts of the world and it is known as a simple industry. The major sources of tanning materials aremixed hardwood and coniferous forests of oak, hemlock and chestnut in eastern United States.

■ Cork-Cork industry is also based forest gathering. This industry is highly developed in the Mediterranean region. It is obtained from the ark of oak.

■ Turpentine and resin–these are obtained from another group of the products collected from the temperate and sub- tropical forests. The chief source of resin is pine forests from which turpentine is obtained.Key producers of turpentine and rosin are United States and France. While the pine forests of Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal states in India are the main sources of resins and turpentine.