Types of Economic Activities and Agricultural Practices

Primary

Economic activities that involve extracting raw materials directly from the earth. Example: Mining, fishing, and agriculture.

Secondary

Economic activities that process raw materials into finished goods. Example: Manufacturing cars or steel production.

Tertiary

Economic activities that provide services rather than goods. Example: Teaching, healthcare, or banking.

Quaternary

Economic activities that involve knowledge-based services. Example: Scientific research, software development, or IT services.

Quinary

Economic activities that involve high-level decision-making, management, or innovation. Example: University professors or top-level executives.

Subsistence Agriculture

Farming that focuses on growing enough food to feed the farmer's family, with little surplus. Example: Small family farms in developing countries.

Shifting Cultivation

A form of agriculture where land is cleared, used for a few years, and then abandoned to allow natural regrowth. Example: Slash-and-burn agriculture in the Amazon.

First Agricultural Revolution

Humans shifted from being hunter-gatherers to being subsistence farmers and herders. IT was the DOMESTICATION OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS, happened around 12,000 years ago.FERTILE CRESCENT!!

. Example: The domestication of wheat and barley.

Second Agricultural Revolution

The improvement of farming techniques and tools during the 17th and 18th centuries. Example: The introduction of crop rotation and the seed drill.

Third Agricultural Revolution

The modernization of agriculture in the 20th century, characterized by genetic engineering and the rise of agribusiness. Example: The Green Revolution and GMOs like Bt corn.

Slash-and-Burn Agriculture

A farming method that involves clearing land by cutting and burning vegetation to create space for crops. Example: Practiced by some indigenous groups in the Amazon.

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

Organisms whose genetic material has been altered to improve crop yield or resistance to pests. Example: Bt corn, which is resistant to certain pests.

Township and Range Survey System

A land survey system used in the U.S. that divides land into square townships and ranges. Example: Common in the Midwest U.S.

Long-lot Survey System

A system where land is divided into narrow parcels, often along rivers or roads. Example: Found in parts of France, Canada, and parts of Louisiana.

Metes-and-Bounds Survey System

A land survey system based on natural landmarks and physical features. Example: Common in the Eastern U.S., particularly in older rural areas.

Pastoral Nomadism

A form of agriculture where people move with their livestock in search of pasture. Example: Practiced by Bedouins in the Middle East or Mongols in Central Asia.

Conservation Tillage

A farming practice that leaves crop residue on the ground to prevent soil erosion.

Luxury Crops

Crops grown for export and often not essential for the local population's subsistence. Example: Coffee, tea, and cacao.

Livestock Ranching

The raising of animals for meat, milk, or wool. Example: Cattle ranching in the American West.

Agribusiness

The business side of agriculture, including the production, processing, and distribution of agricultural products. Example: Large corporations like Monsanto or Tyson Foods.

Organic Agriculture

Farming that depends on the use of naturally occurring substances while prohibiting or strictly limiting synthetic substances such as herbicides, pesticides, and growth hormones

. Example: Organic farms selling produce without chemical pesticides.

Desertification

The process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically due to drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture. Example: The Sahel region of Africa.

Plantation Agriculture

A large farm in tropical and subtropical climates that specializes in production of one or two crops for sale; usually to a more developed country.

Example: Banana plantations in Central America.

Cash Crop

Crops grown for sale rather than for personal consumption. Example: Cotton, tobacco, and coffee.

Crop Rotation

The practice of rotating crops each year to maintain soil fertility and reduce pest buildup. Example: Growing corn one year and soybeans the next.

Von Thünen Model

A model that explains the location of agricultural activities based on land cost and transportation. Example: Dairy farming near cities and extensive grain farming further out.

Aquaculture

The farming of fish or other aquatic organisms for commercial purposes. Example: Fish farms in Norway or shrimp farms in Southeast Asia.

Monocropping

The practice of growing the same crop on the same land every year. Example: Wheat farming in the Great Plains.

Double Cropping

Growing two crops on the same piece of land in one year. Example: Rice and wheat farming in parts of Asia.

Columbian Exchange

The widespread exchange of plants, animals, and diseases between the New and Old Worlds after Columbus's voyages. Example: Potatoes, tomatoes, and corn to Europe and horses and diseases to the Americas.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

A system where consumers purchase shares of a farm's produce in advance. Example: Local farm produce subscriptions where customers receive weekly deliveries.

Intensive Agriculture

A type of agriculture that uses large amounts of labor, capital, or both to produce high yields per unit of land. Example: Rice farming in Asia with heavy use of irrigation.

Extensive Agriculture

A type of agriculture that uses minimal labor or capital and typically results in lower yields per unit of land. Example: Wheat farming in the U.S. Midwest.

Bid-rent Theory

A theory that explains how land use changes in relation to distance from the city center, with land closer to the city being more expensive. Example: Retail businesses paying higher rent in downtown areas compared to suburban zones.