Concept of Human Activities

Human activities are classified into four types namely:

1. Primary activities
2. Secondary activities
3. Tertiary activities
4. Quaternary activities

Primary Activities

Primary activities involve exploitation of nature in the production of materials. Production in this kind of activities largely depends on the earth's natural resources.

Examples of primary activities include:

1. Farming (agriculture), hunting and gathering
2. Mining and quarrying
3. Fishing
4. Forestry (lumbering)
5. Livestock keeping

Secondary Activities

These human activities involve a process of manufacturing raw materials into useful products. Secondary activities are of great importance as they lead to fast economic development since they produce products that have immediate demands in the society.

Examples of secondary activities:

1. Coffee pulping, cotton ginning
2. Sisal decortication, cloth making
3. Construction of houses, manufacturing of glass
4. Car assembly, making paper, making glue
5. Processing of steel and iron from ore

Tertiary Activities

These activities involve the provision of services that are needed in the society.

Examples of tertiary activities include:

1. Trade (restaurants, hotels, lodges, supermarkets), water supply
2. Schools (teachers), advertising, mechanics
3. Hospitals (doctors), legal services in court, entertainment
4. Transportation (driving), plumbing, waste management, religious services

Quaternary Activities

These activities involve provision of intellectual services and information. These activities were formally included in the tertiary activities.

Quaternary activities include:

1. High-tech industries with information technology
2. Scientific research, consultancies and library services
3. Computer based activities like making software

Quinary Activities

Top executives or officials in fields such as governments do these activities. They involve the highest level of planning and decision making in the society or economy. Quaternary and quinary activities are important in the development of farming, mining, tourism and trade.

1. Helps in generation of government revenue
2. Helps in producing raw materials such as cotton for textile industries
3. They provide employment to people in the country
4. Human activities such as agriculture and fishing lead to production of food
5. Activities like construction of roads contribute to the development of transport and communication networks

1. Air pollution. This can be caused by industrial emissions and burning of agricultural activities
2. Water pollution. It can be caused by dumping of untreated waste materials into the water bodies
3. Soil pollution. It can be caused by dumping of radioactive materials into the ground and applying chemicals in the farms
4. Deforestation. This can take place when trees are excessively cleared during preparation of large farms, lumbering, overgrazing and settlements
5. Soil erosion. This takes place easily on the land that has been left bare due to excessive cutting of trees for lumbering, farming and construction

1. Discouraged the improper dumping of waste in the soil or water
2. The use of modern methods in agricultural activities such as crop rotation, inter cropping, fallowing strips, contour ridging
3. Encouraging afforestation and restricting deforestation
4. Excessive use of chemicals in the control of pests should also be discouraged
5. The government should enact strict laws