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Economic Sectors and Location ยป Primary Sector Employment

What you'll learn this session

Study time: 30 minutes

  • Define primary sector employment and understand its characteristics
  • Explore different types of primary activities including farming, fishing, forestry and mining
  • Analyse factors that influence the location of primary sector activities
  • Examine case studies of primary sector employment in different countries
  • Understand the challenges and changes facing primary sector workers
  • Evaluate the importance of primary sector employment in economic development

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Introduction to Primary Sector Employment

The primary sector forms the foundation of all economic activity. It involves extracting raw materials directly from the natural environment. Without primary sector workers, we wouldn't have food on our tables, timber for our homes, or metals for our phones. This sector is particularly important in developing countries, where it often employs the majority of the workforce.

Key Definitions:

  • Primary Sector: Economic activities that extract raw materials directly from the natural environment.
  • Raw Materials: Basic materials that haven't been processed, like crops, timber, fish, or minerals.
  • Extractive Industries: Industries that remove natural resources from the earth, such as mining and quarrying.
  • Subsistence: Producing just enough to meet your own needs, with little or no surplus for sale.
  • Commercial: Production aimed at selling goods for profit in markets.

🌾 Agriculture

The cultivation of crops and rearing of animals for food, fibre and other products. This includes arable farming (growing crops like wheat and rice) and pastoral farming (raising livestock like cattle and sheep).

🌊 Fishing

Catching fish and other seafood from oceans, rivers and lakes. This can range from small-scale fishing by individuals to large commercial fishing operations with massive trawlers.

Types of Primary Sector Activities

Primary sector employment covers a wide range of activities, each with its own characteristics and location factors. Understanding these different types helps explain why certain regions specialise in particular primary activities.

Forestry and Logging

Forestry involves managing forests for timber production, whilst logging is the actual cutting down and harvesting of trees. This industry provides wood for construction, paper production and fuel. Countries like Canada, Russia and Brazil are major players in the global timber trade.

🌳 Sustainable Forestry

Managing forests so they can continue producing timber indefinitely whilst protecting wildlife habitats and preventing soil erosion.

🚧 Clear-cutting

Removing all trees from an area at once. This is efficient but can cause environmental damage if not managed properly.

🌿 Selective Logging

Carefully choosing which trees to cut whilst leaving others to maintain forest structure and biodiversity.

Case Study Focus: Canadian Forestry

Canada's boreal forest covers 307 million hectares and supports over 230,000 jobs. The industry faces challenges from climate change, including increased forest fires and pest outbreaks. Companies are adapting by using more sustainable practices and diversifying into products like biofuels and advanced materials.

Mining and Quarrying

Mining extracts valuable minerals and metals from beneath the earth's surface, whilst quarrying removes materials like stone, sand and gravel from surface deposits. These activities are crucial for construction, manufacturing and energy production.

Location Factors for Mining

Mining operations must be located where valuable deposits exist, but several other factors influence their success and viability.

Physical Factors

Quality and quantity of deposits, accessibility of the site, terrain difficulty and climate conditions all affect mining operations. Deeper deposits are more expensive to extract.

💰 Economic Factors

Market prices for minerals, transportation costs, labour availability and government policies influence whether mining is profitable. High prices can make previously uneconomical deposits worth extracting.

Agricultural Employment Patterns

Agriculture remains the largest employer in the primary sector globally, though its importance varies dramatically between countries. In developing nations, it often employs over 50% of the workforce, whilst in developed countries, it's typically less than 5%.

Intensive vs Extensive Agriculture

The type of agricultural system affects employment patterns and location decisions. Understanding these differences helps explain why some areas have high agricultural employment whilst others have mechanised farms with few workers.

🍼 Intensive Agriculture

High inputs of labour, capital, or technology per unit of land. Examples include market gardening and battery farming. Often located near urban markets.

🌾 Extensive Agriculture

Low inputs per unit of land, often covering large areas. Examples include cattle ranching and wheat farming on the Great Plains. Located where land is cheap and plentiful.

🚢 Subsistence vs Commercial

Subsistence farming feeds the farmer's family, whilst commercial farming produces crops for sale. Commercial farms are usually larger and more mechanised.

Case Study Focus: Rice Farming in Bangladesh

Bangladesh's rice industry employs about 48% of the country's workforce. The fertile Ganges Delta provides ideal conditions, but farmers face challenges from flooding, cyclones and climate change. Small farm sizes (average 0.6 hectares) mean most farming is labour-intensive rather than mechanised, supporting millions of rural families.

Fishing Industry Employment

The fishing industry provides livelihoods for millions of people worldwide, from small-scale coastal communities to large commercial operations. However, overfishing and climate change are creating significant challenges for fishing communities.

Types of Fishing Operations

Fishing employment varies greatly depending on the scale and type of operation. Each has different location requirements and employment characteristics.

🌊 Artisanal Fishing

Small-scale fishing using traditional methods and equipment. Often family-based operations that fish close to shore. Provides employment for coastal communities but catches are limited.

🚢 Commercial Fishing

Large-scale operations using modern vessels and technology. Can fish in distant waters and process catches onboard. Fewer jobs but higher catches and profits.

Factors Affecting Primary Sector Location

Primary sector activities are heavily influenced by physical geography, but economic and political factors also play crucial roles in determining where these industries locate and how many people they employ.

Physical Factors

The natural environment largely determines what primary activities are possible in different locations. Climate, soil quality, topography and natural resources are fundamental considerations.

🌡 Climate

Temperature, rainfall and seasonal patterns determine which crops can grow and affect fishing conditions. Tropical climates suit different crops than temperate regions.

🌏 Soil and Terrain

Fertile soils support intensive agriculture, whilst poor soils may only suit extensive grazing. Steep terrain limits mechanisation and affects accessibility.

💨 Water Resources

Adequate water supply is essential for agriculture and many mining operations. Coastal locations provide access to marine resources and transportation.

Case Study Focus: Copper Mining in Chile

Chile produces about 30% of the world's copper, employing over 200,000 people directly in mining. The Atacama Desert's dry climate preserves copper deposits and reduces processing costs. However, water scarcity and environmental concerns are growing challenges. Mining companies are investing in desalination plants and more efficient extraction methods.

Changes and Challenges in Primary Employment

Primary sector employment faces numerous challenges in the modern world. Technological advances, environmental concerns and changing global markets are transforming how these industries operate and how many people they employ.

Mechanisation and Technology

Advances in technology are reducing the need for manual labour in many primary sector activities. Whilst this increases efficiency and reduces costs, it also means fewer job opportunities for workers.

🚢 Agricultural Mechanisation

Tractors, combine harvesters and automated systems reduce labour needs. One modern farmer can now manage areas that once required dozens of workers. This increases productivity but reduces rural employment.

Mining Technology

Automated mining equipment and remote-controlled machinery improve safety and efficiency. However, these technologies require skilled operators rather than manual labourers, changing the nature of mining employment.

Environmental and Sustainability Issues

Primary sector activities have significant environmental impacts and growing awareness of sustainability is changing how these industries operate. This affects employment patterns and requires new skills from workers.

Sustainable Practices

Many primary sector employers are adopting more sustainable practices in response to environmental concerns and consumer demand. This creates new types of jobs whilst potentially reducing others.

🌱 Organic Farming

Growing crops without synthetic pesticides or fertilisers. Often requires more labour than conventional farming, creating employment opportunities in rural areas.

🌊 Sustainable Fishing

Using quotas and selective fishing methods to prevent overfishing. May reduce short-term catches but helps ensure long-term employment in fishing communities.

Mine Rehabilitation

Restoring mining sites after extraction is complete. Creates new jobs in environmental restoration and helps mining companies maintain their social licence to operate.

Case Study Focus: Sustainable Agriculture in Kenya

Kenya's tea industry employs over 600,000 people and is adopting sustainable practices to meet international standards. Rainforest Alliance certification requires better working conditions and environmental protection. Whilst this increases costs, it also ensures premium prices and long-term market access, protecting employment in rural communities.

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