What types of economic activity are there?

The proportion of people working in primary, secondary and tertiary activities is called
the employment structure. Different types of work and Industry are called economic
activities.Economic means money and wealth.

Primary industries employ people to collect or produce natural resources from the land
or sea.

- Examples: Farming, fishing, forestry and mining are examples of primary

industries.

Secondary industries employ people to make things. They are usually made from raw
materials or involve assembling several parts into a finished product.

- Examples: steel making, house construction and car assembly. Manufacturing is

another name for this type of industry.

Tertiary industries provide a service for people. They give help to others. No goods are
made in this type of industry.

- Examples: Teachers, nurses, shop assistants and entertainers are examples of

people in tertiary industries. This is sometimes called a service industry.

Quarternary jobs are research jobs (scientific research, ICT)

- Examples: medical research for vaccines, technological research, financial

research, gaming...

What are the main types of farming in Britain?

Farming, or agriculture, is the way that people produce food by growing crops and
raising animals. The main types of farming in Britain are:

- arable, which is the ploughing of the land and the growing of crops.
- pastoral, where the land is left under grass for the grazing of animals.
- mixed, when both crops are grown and animals are reared in the same area.

Farmers must choose carefully the type of farming that is best for the place where they
farm. Deciding which is best depends upon several physical and human factors:

- Physical factors are climate, soils and relief.

- Human factors include farm size, technology, machinery, distance from markets,
market demand and transport.
- Arable farms grow crops. These may be cereals like wheat, or vegetables such as
potatoes.
- Arable farms need large areas of flat land, a deep fertile soil, warm and sunny
summers to ripen the crop, some (but not too much) rain, and modern machinery
for ploughing and harvesting. Crops that are heavy to move (potatoes) or soon
go bad (strawberries) are best grown near to their market.

- Cattle farms raise either dairy cows for milk and dairy produce, or beef cows for
meat.
- Cows need well-drained land that is either flat or gently sloping. Dairy cows need
good-quality grass which grows best in a warm, moist climate and where it is
neither too hot nor too cold. Good roads and refrigerated lorries help get the milk
to market quickly. Beef cattle are reared further from markets.

- Hill sheep farms produce wool, lamb and mutton.

- Sheep are hardy animals and can graze on land that is too steep for other types
of farming. They can also feed on poor-quality grass which grows on thin,
infertile soils, and they can survive in any type of climate in Britain, including
heavy rain and snow. Hill farms use little machinery and much of their produce
goes to large urban areas.

- Mixed farms grow crops and raise animals.

 - They need good-quality soil and gently sloping land for their cattle, crops and
modern machinery. The climate should not be extreme – not too wet, too dry, too
hot or too cold. Good roads for access to markets are also important.

What is an arable farm like?

These are easy to work and are well drained, although occasional flooding restricts the
use of land near to the river. The land here is very flat and slopes gently towards a river.
Most of the fields have deep and fertile soils. Much use is made of machines and
chemicals.

Hawthorn Farm has five tractors, two combine harvesters, muck spreaders, sprayers,
ploughs, seed drills and a grain drier. There are six full-time labourers, and several
casual workers are employed at different times of the year. Hawthorn Farm is large and
efficient, and uses modern methods.

The farm is owned by a company and run by a professional manager. The company has
the money needed to invest in new farming methods. Farming like this is called
agribusiness. The main problems for farmers in the area are occasional high winds and
summer thunderstorms that can ruin the crops just before harvest time.

Farmers cope with unusually dry summers by irrigating the land through a system of
ditches, pipes and pumping units. Pumps are also used to move water from the fields
and into the river when flooding occurs. Flooding is a problem in the area because the
land is so flat and low-lying. Many farmers are concerned that floods happen more often
now than they did in the past.

What is the best site for a factory?

Before building a factory a manufacturer should try to work out the best site for its
location. It is unusual to find a perfect site for a factory. Indeed, if there was a perfect
site someone else would probably already be using it. Deciding on the best available site
depends on several things. Six of these are given in the following diagram.