Agricultura, ganadería,pesca ... in english

1. PRIMARY SECTOR

2. 1. INTRODUCTION. The primary sector extracts resources from nature. The most important activities in this sector are agriculture, livestock farming, fishing and forest exploitation. The percentage of rural population is about 40% of the total, but in the developed countries it is less than 10%, and on the contrary, in the developing countries is over 50%.

3. Rural spaceisthe non urbanterritory, mainlyconsisting of farminglands, pastures and forests. Besides, itincludeshouses, factories, roads, … Rural landscapeis a humanizedspacebecauseiscomposedof physicalelements and of humanelements.

4. Activity:1.1. Whereisthere more urbanpopulation?, whereistheremore rural population?

5. 2. FACTORS IN AGRICULTURE Physicalfactors: -Flat landiseasiertogrowcropson, thereislesssoilerosion and machinery can beusedsafely.

6. -Altitude: Some places are toohightogrowcropsbecausethey are toocold. Temperaturedecreases 0´5°C every 100 m.

7. -South facingslopesare warmerbecausetheyfacethesun.

8. -Soilneedstobefertile, deep and welldrained.

9. -Anappropiateclimateforthecrops(hours of sun, precipitation, temperature,…)

10. Humanfactors: -Demographicpressureimplies more landsforfarming and less natural spaces.

11. -Property of theland: privateorcollective. Thisland can beworkedbyitsowner(directpossession), or can behiredtootherpeople(indirectpossession) in exchange of money(leasing) or in exchange of a percentage of thecrop(sharecroppingcontract).

12. -Economicfactors: traditionalagriculture uses traditionaltechniquesand polyculture; modernagriculture uses new techniquesand monoculture.

13. -Politicalfactors: agriculturalreforms, wateringplans, agricultural subsidies,…

14. -Technologicalfactors: Traditionaltechniques(plough, sickle,…); ormodernmechanisation(tractors, chemicalproducts,…).

15. Traditionalspeciesortransgenicspecies.

16. Modification of natural conditions: traditionalones as watering, natural fertilizers, fallowland,…; modernones as chemicalfertilizers, hydroponiccrops,…

17. Activity: 2.1. Applytheagriculturalfactorstothelandscape of yourvillage.

18. 3. ELEMENTS IN AGRICULTURE. Plots:theagriculturalspaceisdividedintoplots. Wehavetoconsiderdifferentaspects: -Size: small, mediumorlarge; -Shape: irregular or regular; -Limits: openedorclosed(bybushes, stonewalls,…).

19. Activity: 3.1. Describe theseplots(size, shape, limits).

20. Agriculturalsystems: -Variety of crops: monocultureorpolyculture; Activity: 3.2. Define monoculture and polyculture.

21. -Water: deanorirrigation;

22. -Continousgrowing(thelanddoesn´trest), orcroprotation(cropalternation, sometimesleavingthelandfallow);

23. -Land use: Intensive: highyieldsfrom a smallarea of land. Itneedshigh input of money, labourortechnology.

24. Extensive: lowyieldsfrom a largearea of land.

25. Livestockfarmingsystems: -Nomadiclivestockfarming: shepherdscontinuallymoveonwiththeirlivestocklookingfor pasture.

26. -Transhumance: is the seasonal movement of shepherds with their livestock, typically to higher pastures in summer and to lower valleys in winter.

27. -Extensivelivestockfarming: livestockgrazefreely in a largeplot of land. Itdoesn´tneeda high input of moneyorlabour.

28. -Intensivelivestockfarming: livestockisinsidethecowshed, and ispartiallyorentirelyfedwithfodder. Thissystemneeds a high input of money, labour and technology, buttheyields are high as well.

29. -Mixedlivestockfarming: animals combine thehousingsystem in winterwiththeoutdoorsystem in summer.

30. Forestry uses: Logging is the activity of cutting down trees. Silviculture is the activity of cultivation of forests in order to preserve them.

31. -Human beings mainly explote 3 kinds of forests: Tropical and equatorial forests: in Congo, Brazil or Indonesia with species like mahogany or teak.

32. Coniferousforest: in RussiaorCanadawithspecieslikefirorpine.

33. Activity: 3.4. Writesomeexamplesaboutproductswe can getfromlivestockfarming and forestryexplotation.

34. Population and rural habitat: Thehabitat can beconcentratedorscattered.

35. 4. TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES Theselandscapes can befound in Africa, LatinAmerica and South-East Asia. Theagriculturalsystems are undeveloped, thetechnologyisveryold(plough, natural fertlizers,…), the input of labourisveryhigh and theyieldsverylow, and ifthereis a smallsurplus, itisdestinedtothelocal market.

36. There are fourtraditionallandscapes: -Shiftingcultivation: Itoccurs in equatorialforests in South-East Asia, Central and South America and Africa. People set firetothejungle in ordertoget a clearing and cultivateitforthreeorfouryears, usingtheashes as fertilizer. They use manual labour and simple tools. Thefarmersgrowcropsforthemselves and theirfamilies (subsistence). Themaincrops are rice, maiza, tapioca, sweetpotatoes, bananas and vegetables.

38. Whensoil loses itsfertilitythelandisabandoned and theprocessstartsagain. Theforestclearingisleftfallow and restored in about 60 years.

39. Activity: 4.1. Why do wecalltothisagriculturalsystem “shiftingcultivation”?, isthissystemintensiveorextensive?, whydoessoil lose itsfertility?

40. Sedentarydrylandfarming: itislocated in thedry tropical area of Africa, Asia and South America. Thelandisdividedintotwoparts: thesmallplotnearesttothevillage are individual. Vegetables are cultivatedalongalltheyear; thelandaroundthese vegetable gardensiscollective and itisdividedintoseveralplots in croprotation(one of themallwaysfallow). In thefallowlandthelivestockgrazes and fertilizesthesoil.

43. Activity: 4.2. Writesomeadvantagesyou can find in thissystemcomparedtotheshiftingcultivationsystem.

44. Wet rice farming: Itoccurs in manyAsiancountries (tropical and monsoonclimate: India, China). Itrequires 1000 mm to 2500 mm of rainfall a year and anaveragetemperature of 20°C. Itisintensivebecause of the use of a largeamount of fertilizers: irrigationallows 2 or 3 crops per year in verysmallfarms. Thelevel of technologyislow. Planting and transplanting are usually done byhand(a high input of labourisused).

46. Activity: 4.3. Do youthinktheyields of thissystem are higherthantheotherswehavestudied?, Why?, do youthinkthis factor has a relevantinfluenceonAsianpopulationgrowth?

47. Dryareasfarming: dryzones of Africa and Asia. Thesepeoplepracticenomadiclivestockfarming. Agricultureisonlypossible in oases. Herepalmtreesshade and protectfruittrees and vegetables fromevaporation. Irrigationisusedthankstoundergroundwateroreventheexistence of “wadis”.

49. 5. THE EVOLVED AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES. Theselandscapes can befound in Europe, Oceania, North America, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, buteven in somedevelopingcountries. Theagriculturalsystems are developed, thereis a high input of mechanization and technology(chemicalfertilizers, tractors, …), the input of labourisusuallyverylow and theyieldsveryhigh, and thereis a large surplusdestinatedtotheinternationalmarket.

50. Extensivecommercialfarming: Itoccurs in “new countries”, e.g. US, Australia or Argentina, especially in continental climate. Plots of land are large(farms are verybig, more than 200 Ha.), regular and highlymechanised. Monocultureispractised: it can be arable, e.g.crops of wheat, maize, barley; it can bealso pastoral, e.g.cows and sheep. Theselandscapessufferfromsomeproblemslikesoilexhaustionorsoilpollution(because of thechemicalfertilizers and pesticides).

52. Activity: 5.1. Why do youthinktheplots of land in thissystem are large and regular?

53. Plantationagriculture: Ittakes place in largefarmsorestates (40 to 1000 Ha) existing in South-EastAsia, someareas in Africa, Central America and South America. Crops are grownforexport. Itneeds a lot of moneyforbuilding, planting and makingprocessingfactories. Theyemploymanyworkers and use highlevels of technology. They produce coffee, cocoa, sugar ,tea, rubber and palmoil. Theselandscapessufferfromsomeproblemslikesoilexhaustionorsoilpollution(because of thechemicalfertilizers and pesticides), and from tropical plagues.

55. Marketgardening: It produces the vegetables, fruit and flowersthat are found in supermarkets. It uses limitedland and itisoftennearurbanmarkets. Althoughthey are perishableproducts, refrigeration and fastertransportallow more distantmarketstobeserved.Marketgardenshavehigh inputs, especiallylabour, and highyields (intensive). A widerange of technologyisavailable, fromhandhoestocomputer-controlled robots. Some vegetables are grownintogreenhousesorusinghydroponics.

57. Activity: 5.2. Makeanoutlinewiththenames of theagriculturalsystems. 5.3. Make a diagramcomparingthetraditionalagriculturalsystemstotheevolvedagriculturalsystems.

58. 6. FISHING. Fishingistheactivity of huntingforfish. Byextension, thetermfishingisalsoapliedtohuntingforotheraquaticanimalssuch as varioustypes of shellfish.

59. Worldfisheries Themainworldfisheries are on continental shelvesand nexttosea currentsbecausethereis a largeamount of plancton in theseareas(Western Africa, NorthernAtlacticOcean, PacificOcean).

60. Activity:6.1. In whichcountries do youfindthemostimportantareasforfishing?

61. Thecountrieswhich consume more fish are: Japan, China, Indonesia, Philipines, USA, Canada, Chile, Russia, Norway, U.K, Spain, Portugal.

63. Seining: a seineis a largefishing net thathangsvertically in thewaterbyattachingweightsalongthebottonedge and floatsalongthe top.

64. Gillnetting: a gillnetis a wallofnetting set in a straightline, equippedwithweights at thebottom and floats at thetop, and is usuallyanchored at each end.

65. Fishinglines: fish are caughtwith a fishing line byencouraging a fishto bit upon a fishhookor a gorgethatisburied in thebait. Long line fishingis a commercialfishingtechniquethat uses hundredsoreventhousands of baitedhookshangingfrom a single line.

66. Fishtraps:pot-traps are baitedtoatractfishes and periodicallylifted. Pots are weighted to rest on thebottom, withmarkedbuoys at thesurface. They are typicallyusedto catch crustaceans.

67. Commercialfishing Commercialfishingmethodshavebecomeveryefficientusinglargenets and sea-goingprocessingfactories.

68. Thedevelopment of refrigeration and freezingtechnologiestransformedthecommercialfishingindustry: fishingvesselscouldbelarger, spending more time awayfromport and thereforeaccessingfish stocks at a muchgreaterdistance..

69. Activity: 6.2. Whatisthedifferencbetweenshallowwaterfishing and deep sea fishing?

70. Problemsonfishing Pollution Overfishing

71. Mainsolutionsforoverfishing Creatingexclusive economiczones(EEZ), anareaextending 200 nautical miles seawardfromthecoast in which a country has sovereignrightsto explore and explote marine resources. Restrictionsorquotas. International treatieslimitthefishingeffort. Aquaculture

72. Aquacultureisthecultivation of the natural produce of water (suchusfishorshellfish). Fishfarmingis a commonkind of aquaculture.

73. Thetraditionalraftsystemconsist in a woodenstructurewith rectangular shape, and with 4 or 5 floaters, madewithsteeland coveredwithglassfiber. There are new designsmade of polyethilene.

74. Activity: 6.3. Whereisthe exclusive economiczone of a country onthesea located?