Economic Activities

Primary            

These industries extract raw materials from the earth or sea 

E.g.Fishing, Coal Mining, Farming

Secondary               

These industries process and manufacture products from raw materials

E.g. Car Manufacturing, Iron and Steel Industry

Tertiary

These industries provide a service

Retailing, Teaching, Dentistry 

There are also quaternary industries

These industries incorporate a high degree of research and technology in their processes and employ highly qualified people

E.g. Biotechnology, Computer Programming

Arable - Cultivating Crops

Pastoral - Rearing Animals

Intensive - Farming That Requires A Lot Of Inputs

Extensive - Farming That Requires A Few Inputs

Subsistence - Only Growing Enough To Feed Yourself

Commercial - Growing Produce To Sell

Mixed - Farming Both Crops Animals

Typical inputs, processes and outputs in farming: 

Inputs:

• Capital
• Technology and Labour
• Seed, Fertiliser and Pesticides
• Animals

Processes:

• Grazing and Milking
• Feeding
• Ploughing, Planting, Spraying, Fertilizing, Harvesting

Output:

• Seeds, Crops, Milk, Profit
• Waste Products, Manure

• arable - cultivating crops

• pastoral - rearing animals

• subsistence - only growing enough to feed yourself

• intensive - requires a lot of inputs

• extensive - requires few inputs

• commercial - growing to sell

• mixed - farming both crops and animals

Inputs:

• labour, capital
• seeds, animals
• fertilizers, pesticides

Processes:

• ploughing, sowing
• spraying, adding fertilizer
• harvesting, grazing, milking

Outputs:

• ploughing, sowing
• spraying, adding fertilizer
• harvesting, grazing
• milking

• Climate

• Relief

• Labour supply

• Soil type

• Accessibility to the market

• hours of sunshine

• temperature

• amount of rainfall

• depth - grow better in deep soils

• fertility - need soils with enough nutrients in them (humus)

• texture - ratios of sand, silt and clay

• pH - acidity

Diversification means branching out into activities, other than just growing crops and rearing animals, for some extra money

The Common Agricultural Policy plays farmers to 'set aside' land, which they are not allowed to use for agriculture, but they can use it for activities which attract tourism.

• Bed and breakfast
• Camping sites
• A farm shop - make their own ice-cream, cheese, jam etc....
• Grow and sell Christmas trees
• Petting zoo
• Quad bike track
• Adventure days
• Sell firewood
• Fishing

Inputs:

• thread, needles
• buttons, cotton
• dye, packaging

Processes:

• stitching, packing
• cutting, folding
• dyeing

Outputs:

• offcuts, seconds
• shirts, trousers
• profits

Good:

• more employment
• guarantees wages
• more investment
• improved infrastructure
• provision of expensive equipment
• they contribute to the multiplier effect

Bad:

• managerial jobs are filled by foreign workers
• low wages
• profits go overseas
• decisions are made outside of the country