Geo- Agriculture Flashcards
What are the three types of economic activities
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary
What are primary activities? Give examples
Activities related to the production and extraction of natural resources. Examples- Agriculture and fishing.
What are secondary activities? Give examples
Those that process the products and resources supplied by the primary activities. Examples- Manufacturing of steel mined from ores, baking of bread made from flour which is made from wheat, and weaving of cloth (with the fibres acquired from plants and animals.
What are tertiary activities? Give examples
Tertiary activities provide support to the primary and secondary sectors through services that include banking, insurance, trade and advertising.
What is agriculture? What type of economic activity is it?
Agriculture is the practice of growing crops, fruits, vegetables and flowers, and rearing livestock. it is a primary activity
What factors are essential for agriculture?
Favourable topography of soil, climate and arable land are needed for agriculture. the right rainfall is also needed, though that varies based on which crop is being grown.
define sericulture?
Rearing of silkworms for commercial use/to sell their silk
define Pisciculture
Breeding of fish in specially constructed tanks
define viticulture
cultivation of grapes
define horticulture
growing vegetables, flowers and fruits to sell/for commercial use
How is farming a system?
Farming can be considered a system as it has an input which includes machinery, seeds and chemicals, process which includes ploughing and sowing the seeds, and an output which is the crops produced by the process with the resources from the input.
What are the inputs in farming?
The human inputs in farming are labour, chemicals and machinery. The physical/natural inputs are sunshine, rain and soil
What are the two main types of farming? Define both in brief.
The two main types of farming include subsistence farming and commercial farming. Subsistence farming is done to meet the needs of the farmer’s family, and as such the crops, fruits and vegetables cultivated are used to feed them. It can be divided into primitive and intensive subsistence agriculture.
Commercial farming is done to sell the fruits, crops and vegetables cultivated. It can be divided into mixed farming, grain farming and plantation. it needs a large amount of land and capital investment
What is intensive subsistence agriculture?
A type of subsistence agriculture, in intensive subsistence agriculture the farmer grows crops on a small plot of land with more labour and very simple tools. Climate with a large number of days with sunshine and some fertile soil is required. Rice, wheat, maize and pulses are generally grown.
What is primitive subsistence agriculture? Define shifting cultivation
Primitive subsistence agriculture is a type of subsistence agriculture, i.e. the products of the farm are grown and used to feed the farmer’s family. It’s two types are nomadic herding and shifting cultivation.
In shifting cultivation, a plot of land is cleared by cutting and burning all the trees, mixing their ashes with soil and growing crops, fruits and vegetables on it. After the soil loses it’s fertility, the farmer moves on to another plot of land. This is practiced in areas with heavy rainfall, leading to quick regeneration of vegetation.
