Primary Activities: Dairy Farming, Farming Organisation and Mining

Economic activities are human activities that generate income. Primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary economic activities are broadly classified.

Primary activities are directly related to the environment because they involve the use of earth’s resources such as land, water, vegetation, building materials, and minerals. Hunting and gathering, pastoral activities, fishing, forestry, agriculture, and mining and quarrying are all included.

What is Dairy Farming, Farming Organisation, and Mining?

The Human Geography Class 12: Primary Activities: Dairy Farming, Farming Organisation, and Mining chapter define dairy farming as the most modern and effective method of milch animal husbandry.

• It necessitates a significant amount of cash. Dairy farming costs are increased by animal shelters, fodder storage facilities, feeding and mulching devices
• Cattle breeding, health care, and veterinary services are all given special attention
• It’s a lot of hard work since it requires a lot of attention to detail regarding feeding and mulching
• In contrast to crop farming, there is no off-season throughout the year in dairy farming
• It’s generally done in urban and industrial areas with a local distribution market for fresh milk and dairy products
• Transportation, refrigeration, pasteurisation, and other preserving procedures have helped extend the storage life of various milk products
• Commercial dairy farming is divided into three distinct regions

⮚  North-western Europe is the largest

⮚  Canada is the second country

⮚  South-eastern Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania make up the third belt

Livestock:

• Livestock, particularly poultry and cattle, are raised in enclosures, fed commercial feed, and closely monitored for illness. This necessitates significant capital expenditures in the construction of their sheds, machinery for various processes, veterinary services, heating and lighting
• Breed determination and scientific breeding are two crucial aspects of poultry and livestock farming

Types of farming based on Farming Organisations

Cooperative Farming:

• A cooperative society is formed when a group of farmers pools their resources willingly for more efficient and lucrative farming.
• Individual farms are preserved, and farming becomes a shared endeavour.
• Advantages: Co-operative societies help farmers:

⮚  To obtain all necessary farming ingredients

⮚  Sell the products for the highest price they can get

⮚  In the processing of high-quality products at a lower cost

• In Western Europe, the cooperative movement seems to have a long and rich history, with popularity in nations like Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, and Italy. In Denmark, the movement has grown to the point that nearly every farmer belongs to a co-operative

Collective Farming:

• Basic Principle: It is based on collaborative labour and social ownership of the means of production
• In the former Soviet Union, collective farming, or the Kolkhoz model, was developed to improve upon the inefficiencies of earlier agricultural practises and raise agricultural productivity for self-sufficiency
• All of the farmer’s resources, including land, animals, and labour were pooled. They were, however, allowed to keep extremely small pieces of land to produce food and fulfil their daily needs

Mining:

The iron age, the bronze age, and the copper age are all phases in human evolution where minerals were discovered. Mining’s genuine development began with the industrial revolution, and its importance has grown over a period of time.

Factors Affecting Mining Activity:

Two key factors determine mining operations’ profitability:

• The size, grade, and method of occurrence of the deposits are all physical characteristics
• Economic variables include mineral demand, availability and technology, capital to create infrastructure, availability of labour and transportation expenses

Methods of Mining:

Surface and underground mining are the two categories based on the manner of occurrence and the composition of the mineral.

●   Surface Mining:

⮚  Open-cast mining is another name for it

⮚  It is the most efficient and cost-effective way of obtaining minerals from near the surface. Safety procedures and equipment are generally cheap overhead expenses

⮚  The production is both substantial and quick

●   Underground Mining:

⮚  The underground mining method (shaft method) is utilised when the ore is deep below the surface

⮚  Vertical shafts must be excavated in this procedure, from which subterranean tunnels radiate to access the minerals

⮚  These tubes are used to extract minerals and transfer them to the surface

⮚  For safety and effective transportation of people and cargo, it needs specially constructed elevators, drills, haulage trucks, and ventilation systems

⮚  This procedure is dangerous since toxic gases, flames, floods, and caving can result in fatalities

• Fodder Crops 

• Fodder crops play an important role in mixed farming. Crop rotation and intercropping are essential for soil fertility maintenance. Crop cultivation and animal husbandry are both equally weighted. The main sources of income are cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry, as well as crops
• This type of agriculture can be found in the most developed regions of the world, such as North-western Europe, Eastern North America, parts of Eurasia, and temperate latitudes of the Southern continents. Crops grown on mixed farms include wheat, barley, oats, rye, maize, fodder, and root crops

• Mixed farming

• Mixed farming is distinguished by high capital expenditure on farm machinery and construction, extensive use of chemical fertilisers and green manures
• Mining and its importance 
• Moreover, The discovery of minerals in the history of human development can be divided into three stages: the copper age, the bronze age, and the iron age. Minerals were primarily used in the manufacture of tools, utensils, and weapons in ancient times. Mining’s actual development began with the industrial revolution, and its significance is growing all the time

Conclusion:

Natural resources are used directly in the primary sector. The primary sector is an economic term that refers to the extraction of raw materials. Agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, fishing, and mining are all examples of this sector. In developing countries, this sector is more important than in developed countries.