CCSS3 Unit 6: The Primary Sector

CCSS3 Unit 6: The Primary Sector p.92

Part 1: The Primary Sector: Agricultural Space

The Primary sector consists of economic activities that obtain resources from nature. Ex: crop agriculture, livestock farming, forestry, fishing, mining

Part 2: Crop agriculture p.96

Agriculture obtains fruit, vegetable and cereal (grain) products from the earth to be eaten or used as raw materials for industry.

2.1 Crop Agriculture Practices

-Farming systems: irrigated or rain-fed, monoculture or mixed crops, intensive (with a high capital investment to maximize the yield) or extensive (fewer resources used because they aren’t concerned with getting the best yield).

2.2 Agricultural Landscapes

A. Subsistence Agriculture: ancient techniques, low productivity. Ex: Slash-and-burn or intensive agriculture of monsoon Asia (rice paddies). Crops are used for consumption.

B. Commercial Agriculture: high investment, advanced techniques, high productivity. Crops are used for commercial purposes. 

Part 3: Livestock Farming p.98

Livestock farming obtains different products from animals (meat, wool, eggs etc.)  Ex. Cattle (cows, oxen, bulls) sheep, goats, pigs, rabbits, horses, mules and poultry (hens, chickens, turkeys etc.)

Grazing livestock feed on grass.

Confined livestock: animals are kept in sheds and eat feed.

Nomadic herding: herders and their families constantly move with their animals in search of good pasture.

Transhumance: seasonal migration of livestock: herders move several times a year between winter and summer pastures.

Part 4: Forest exploitation p.100

-Forest exploitation is the utilization of forest products (timber, cork, resin etc.)

-To avoid the disappearance of forests, forestry (silviculture) must be managed so that trees are able to regenerate.  Ex: only the number of trees that can replaced by natural growth is extracted in one year.

Part 5: Fishing and The Use of the Sea p.101

5.1 Fishing is the practice of catching marine species for food or raw materials for industry.

Techniques:

1. longline fishing (a long floating line w/hooks)

2. trawling (boats drag a net along the sea floor), can cause environmental damage

3. lift-netting (boats surround fish w/a net that closes around them).

4. coastal fishing (small boats fishing near the coast)

5. off-shore or deep-sea fishing (large boats with freezers go out for months to catch tuna, swordfish, cod etc.)

5.3 Aquaculture

= we make marine plants and animals reproduce in fish farms to avoid depleting fishing

Part 7: Environmental Consequences p.104

Problems: deforestation, erosion, contamination of soil and water by pesticides and fertilizers

Corrective Measures: natural fertilizers/seeds/pest control, forest fire prevention/extinction, reforestation (replanting native species), regulating fishing techniques (prohibiting trawling), aquaculture.