Unit 5. The primary sector. Agrarian spaces.

UNIT PRESENTATION

Title

The primary sector. Agrarian spaces

Unit description

This unit first deals with general aspects that broaden the information of previous years: the conditioning factors of agrarian activities, both physical - climate, relief, soil and vegetation - and human ones - population, technology, agrarian economic, social and political organisation. The elements that make up agrarian landscapes, such as the inhabited space and the farmland, are also the focus of study. Next, each of the agrarian activities is studied: agriculture and the different traditional and advanced cultivation methods and agrarian systems; livestock farming and the types of livestock farming systems; and silviculture. The fishing section studies fishing systems and the future of fisheries. The techniques section of the unit on handling statistical tables and geographic graphs enables qualitative information to be complemented with quantitative information.

The various activities presented throughout the unit are designed to help students acquire knowledge on the following:

-  Agrarian spaces.

-  Agrarian activity. Physical and human factors.

-  The agrarian landscape and its elements.

-  Agriculture. Diversity and types.

-  Agriculture: Traditional agrarian systems.

-  Agriculture: Advanced agrarian systems.

-  Livestock farming. Types and models.

-  Silviculture

-  Fishing. Use of the sea.

-  Working with statistical data: tables and graphs.

-  Developing core competences.

  2. TEACHING OBJECTIVES

  1.  To identify the primary sector, its activities and spaces.

  2.  To understand the main physical and human factors that condition agrarian activity.

  3.  To analytically observe the elements of agrarian landscapes.

  4.  To form conceptual networks on the variety of cultivation methods and types of agriculture.

  5.  To classify traditional agrarian systems, and differentiate between models.

  6.  To be aware of the variety of advanced agrarian landscapes, and identify representative models.

  7.  To show to the importance of livestock farming and its types and models.

  8.  To classify forest spaces, their functions and problems.

  9.  To analyse fishing and the use of the sea.

10.  To learn how to work with statistical data using geographical content.

11.  To promote the development of the core competences.

 Activities:

1. Define primary sector. Make a simple mind-map about the activities it includes.

2. Which is the percentage of population dedicated to agrarian activities in the world? 

Is it the same for underdeveloped and developed areas? Explain it.

3. Read points 2 and 3 in your textbook. 

3.1. Which is the objective of people dedicated to agrarian activities?

3.2 Detect which are the most favourable physical factors for the agrarian activities and make a table. You should include: climate, relief, soil, demographic pressure, technology and organisation.

4. Define agrarian landscape and state which are its components.

4.1. look at pictures in page 110 and explain how you would differenciate dispersed, concentrated and interspersed settlements.

Concentrated settlement

Dispersed settlement

Interspersed settlement

 4.2 Classify these agrarian landscapes after reading points 4.3 and 5 in your textbook: 

 5. Types of agriculture
Read 5.2 in your textbook. Match each one with the key concepts:
Agriculture types: traditional /modern /industrial /organic
Key concepts: commercial agriculture /subsistence /healthy products without chemicals/
chemical products and machinery

5.1 Agrarian systems
Answer these questions regarding the pictures below
- Which system is the most ancient? Which one is the most modern?
- Which system is the most productive? 
- Which system is able to produce 3 crops per year? Does that change the life of people?
- Which system needs a flood to produce the crop?
- Which of these is the most poluting?
- Which system needs a lot of labour?
- Why are greenhouses used?
- Why is there a "sea of plastic" in the coast of Almería?
- Which is the benefit of hydroponic cultivation?
- What is "organic cultivation"? Which are its benefits?

"Sea of plastic", Almería

Hydroponic cultivation

Industrial agriculture

Greenhouse, Almería.

Irrigated monsoon agriculture

Irrigated monsoon agriculture

Plantation

Sedentary dryland agriculture

Slash and burn

Slash and burn

6.  Livestock farming
 Answer the questions related to the pictures below
- Which of these types of livestock farming have veterinary care?
- Which is the most ancient? And the most recent?
- Which one requires a very important investment? 
- Which systems feed their livestock with artificial feeds?
- Why do some peoples migrate with their herds?
- Do Spanish shepherds migrate with their herds?
- Which of these systems are meant to be sold in the market?
- Which are the benefits of organic livestock farming?

Chicken with access to open air (poultry)

Extensive livestock farming

Intensive livestock farming

Nomadic livestock farming, Mongolia

Shepherd, Spain

Intensive livestock farming

7. Silviculture
Read 9.2 in your textbook
7.1 Which is the main use of a forest? Which are its secondary uses?
7.2 Make a mind-map with the environmental roles of forests. 
Read 9.3 in your textbook
7.3 Which measures could help us ensure sustainability of forestry? 



8. Fishing
Read point 10 of your book and answer to the questions.
- Which of these types of fishing implies the most technology?
- Is fishing in danger?
- Which are the problems for fisheries?
- What solutions can be taken?

Shallow water fishing

Deep water fishing

Aquaculture

Aquaculture

Cepesca, 2019 report

9. EU agricultural policy.
The countries that belong to the European Union have adopted a Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) ( In Spanish: PAC, Política Agraria Común).
It has three main objectives:
- to guarantee the suply of safe and quality food.
- to contribute to sustainable growth (right balance between competitiveness and envirtonmental care)
- to protect agrarian employment

To meet its objectives some decisions are taken for the whole of the EU in regard with the agrarian production.

It was one of the first decisions taken when the first common market was established in Europe after WWII.

10. EU fishing policy.
There is also a common policy in regard with fishing for the members of the EU. It is called CFP, Common Fisheries Policy. 


Project: draw 2 logos to represent 9.2 and 9.3
"Environmental roles of forests" "Help us ensure sustainability of forests"
They should be original, on a single A4 sheet of paper or cardboad.
Due date still to be determined.