Mains Focus – 15th Sept 2025

Question

What are non-farm primary activities? How are these activities related to physiographic features in India? Discuss with suitable examples. (Answer in 150 words)  [GS 1 – 2025]

Answer

Non-farm primary activities are economic activities that depend directly on natural resources but are distinct from agriculture. They include animal rearing, fishing, forestry, mining, quarrying, and the collection of forest produce. These activities contribute significantly to rural livelihoods, employment, and the regional economy of India, especially where farming is constrained.

India’s diverse physiographic features strongly determine the spatial distribution of these activities:

• Animal Rearing (Pastoralism): In the arid and semi-arid regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat, limited water availability and poor soils make large-scale farming difficult. Here, camel, sheep, and goat rearing is predominant. Similarly, in Himalayan pastures, transhumance is practiced by communities like the Gaddis and Bhotiyas.

• Fishing: With a coastline of over 7,500 km, rich estuaries, and inland water bodies, fishing thrives in states like Kerala, West Bengal, and Gujarat. Physiography influences whether fishing is marine, riverine, or estuarine.

• Forestry and Gathering: The dense tropical forests of Central India, Western Ghats, and North-East provide timber, bamboo, lac, tendu leaves, and medicinal plants. Tribal communities rely heavily on these resources.

• Mining and Quarrying: Physiographic regions rich in minerals, like the Chota Nagpur Plateau, are major centers for coal, iron ore, bauxite, and mica extraction. The Deccan Trap also supports quarrying of basalt and granite.
  

Thus, India’s physiographic diversity—ranging from deserts to coasts, forests to plateaus—has directly shaped the evolution and distribution of non-farm primary activities, making them vital complements to agriculture in sustaining livelihoods.

Download as PDF