Primary Activities – Gathering, Pastoralism and Livestock Rearing
Geography › Economic Activities and Industrial Location · Topic 20.1
Primary activities depend directly on the environment: hunting, gathering, pastoralism, fishing, forestry, agriculture, mining and quarrying. Gathering is the oldest, practised by small societies in harsh climates. Pastoralism is of two kinds: nomadic herding, which follows pastures, and commercial livestock rearing or ranching, which is organised and capital-intensive. Dairy farming near cities is the most advanced form, and India is the world's largest milk producer.
6 min read · UPSC Prelims · Geography · Economic Activities and Industrial Location
At a Glance
- Gathering Oldest activity; harsh climates
- Nomadic herding Movement with livestock for pasture
- Transhumance Seasonal movement between mountains and plains
- Ranching New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Uruguay, USA
- Dairy North-west Europe, Canada, Australasia
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Geography: Economic Activities and Industrial Location
Where Does It Fit?
This is the first topic of the macro on economic activities and industrial location. The previous macro covered transport and trade, and this one starts the study of how people earn their living, beginning with the activities nearest to nature. The next topic covers the types of agriculture. Previous topic: India International Trade. Next topic: Types of Agriculture.
What Are Primary Activities and What Is Gathering?
In short: primary activities take resources directly from the earth, from the simplest gathering to modern mining.
Primary activities use land, water, vegetation and minerals. They include hunting, gathering, pastoralism, fishing, forestry, agriculture, mining and quarrying, and the industries involved in them are primary industries. Hunting and gathering is the earliest form of livelihood, in which small societies collect plants and hunt animals for basic needs, with little or no surplus. It is practised in the high latitudes of northern Canada, northern Eurasia and southern Chile, and in the low latitudes of the Amazon basin, tropical Africa, northern Australia and the interior of Southeast Asia. Gatherers use barks for quinine and tannin, trees for rubber, gums and resins, and the sap of the zapota tree for chicle, used in chewing gum. Some gathering has become commercial, but synthetic products have replaced many of the forest items supplied by gatherers. In India, the collection of tendu leaves, bamboo, honey, lac and other minor forest produce supports many tribal families, as in Natural Vegetation of India.
What Are the Types of Pastoralism?
| Type | Features | Regions |
|---|---|---|
| Nomadic herding | A subsistence activity in which herders move with their animals in search of pasture and water; the animals provide food, clothing, shelter and transport; the number of nomads is falling with political boundaries and settled farming | A core belt from North Africa across Arabia to Central Asia, Mongolia and China; the tundra of Eurasia; south-west Africa and Madagascar; cattle in tropical Africa, sheep, goats and camels in the Sahara and Asian deserts, yaks in Tibet, llamas in the Andes and reindeer in the Arctic |
| Transhumance | Seasonal movement of herds between plains and mountain pastures: up to the mountains in summer and down to the plains in winter | The Gujjars, Bakarwals, Gaddis and Bhotiyas of the Himalaya, as in Case Studies – Indira Gandhi Canal and Bharmaur Tribal Region; also in the Alps and Andes |
| Commercial livestock rearing (ranching) | Organised, capital-intensive, on large fenced ranches with controlled grazing, specialised in one animal, using scientific breeding, disease control and processing for the world market; meat, wool, hides | New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Uruguay and the United States |
The climatic and vegetation setting of grasslands is described in Dry and Warm Temperate Climates (Groups B and C). Ranching depends on large areas of grassland, refrigerated transport and export markets, and is under pressure from environmental concerns, as cattle rearing contributes methane emissions and, in the Amazon, deforestation.
What Is Dairy Farming, and How Does India Compare?
- Features: dairy farming is the most advanced and efficient rearing of milch animals. It is capital-intensive, because of sheds, fodder storage and milking machines, and labour-intensive, because milk animals need daily feeding and milking all through the year. It is practised near cities, which provide a market for fresh milk, and the growth of refrigeration, pasteurisation and fast transport has widened the market.
- World regions: north-western Europe is the largest dairy region, followed by Canada and the United States, and south-eastern Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania.
- India: India is the world’s largest producer of milk, with about a quarter of the global output, around 240 million tonnes in 2023–24, though the dairy sector is mostly of small holders with a few animals each, in contrast to the large herds elsewhere. It also has the world’s largest numbers of buffalo and cattle, and the 2019 livestock census counted about 536 million animals.
- Operation Flood: launched in 1970 by the National Dairy Development Board under Verghese Kurien on the Anand model of cooperatives, it is called the White Revolution. It linked village milk producers with city markets through cooperatives such as Amul and made India self-sufficient in milk.
- Challenges: low yield per animal, poor fodder and grazing land, animal diseases such as lumpy skin disease, and concerns on climate change from methane. Schemes include the Rashtriya Gokul Mission and the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund.
As an analytical point, India’s livestock sector is a source of income for small and landless households, especially women, and is a fast-growing part of agriculture, so improving breeds, fodder and veterinary services gives a high return, whereas nomadic pastoralism needs a policy that recognises the rights of herders to grazing and migration routes.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Facts Types and regions asked
- India Dairy and Operation Flood
- Livelihood Pastoral communities
What Came Next?
The next topic describes the types of agriculture. Next topic: Types of Agriculture.
Key People and Terms
- Gathering Collecting wild plant and animal products
- Nomadic herding Moving herds for pasture
- Transhumance Seasonal vertical movement of herds
- Ranching Large-scale commercial livestock rearing
- Chicle Sap used for chewing gum
- White Revolution Dairy growth through Operation Flood
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Transhumance is seasonal movement between plains and mountains.
- Ranching: New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Uruguay, USA.
- Dairy: near cities, capital- and labour-intensive.
- Operation Flood began in 1970.
- India is the largest milk producer.
Do Not Confuse With
- Nomadism and transhumance Constant movement versus seasonal return
- Ranching and nomadic herding Commercial fixed ranch versus subsistence mobility
- Dairy and ranching Milk near cities versus meat and wool
Memory Hook
Gather, herd, move with the season; ranch for export; dairy by the city.
Mains Angle
Questions compare pastoral systems and ask about the dairy sector. These points add depth.
- Types Subsistence versus commercial
- India Milk cooperatives
- Issues Grazing rights and emissions
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Compare nomadic herding and commercial livestock rearing and discuss the role of the cooperative movement in India’s dairy development.”
How to Answer
- Primary activities Meaning and gathering.
- Pastoralism Nomadic and commercial.
- Dairy World and India.
- Policy Cooperatives and fodder.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
What are primary activities?
Primary activities are economic activities that depend directly on the environment and use natural resources, such as land, water, vegetation and minerals. They include hunting, gathering, pastoralism, fishing, forestry, agriculture, mining and quarrying, and the industries involved in them are called primary industries.
What is nomadic herding?
Nomadic herding is a subsistence activity in which people move with their livestock from place to place in search of pasture and water. They use cattle, sheep, goats, camels, yaks or reindeer according to the region, and it is practised across the dry belt from North Africa to Central Asia and in the Arctic.
What is transhumance?
Transhumance is the seasonal migration of herders and their animals between plains and mountain pastures, moving to the high pastures in summer and returning to the plains in winter. In the Himalayas it is practised by communities such as the Gujjars, Bakarwals, Gaddis and Bhotiyas.
What is commercial livestock rearing?
Commercial livestock rearing, or ranching, is an organised and capital-intensive activity on large fenced ranches, specialised in one animal, with scientific breeding and health care. Meat, wool and hides are processed and exported, and it is important in New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Uruguay and the United States.
What was Operation Flood?
Operation Flood, launched in 1970 by the National Dairy Development Board under Verghese Kurien, is also called the White Revolution. It built a national milk grid by organising village producers into cooperatives on the Amul model, and helped make India the world's largest milk producer.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 Transhumance involves seasonal movement between mountain and plain pastures.
The Gaddis and Bakarwals practise it.
2 Ranching is a subsistence activity of nomads.
It is commercial and capital-intensive.
3 India is the largest producer of milk in the world.
Operation Flood helped build the sector.
4 Dairy farming is located far from urban markets.
It is located near urban centres.
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