While farming/agriculture is the most prominent primary activity, non-farm primary activities include all other resource-based occupations like fishing, forestry, mining, quarrying, hunting, and gathering.

These are heavily influenced by the physiographic features of India, as landforms, climate, vegetation, soils, and water bodies determine their spatial distribution.

Non-Farm Primary Activities

Non-farm primary activities involve extraction and collection of natural resources excluding agriculture:

• Mining Operations: Coal, iron ore, bauxite, limestone extraction
• Quarrying Activities: Stone, sand, gravel, marble extraction
• Forestry Operations: Timber harvesting, NTFP collection, bamboo cutting
• Fishing Activities: Marine and inland water fishing
• Salt Production: Solar evaporation and rock salt mining

Relationship with Physiographic Features

Plains and Non-Farm Activities

• Sand Mining: Extensive riverine sand extraction in Yamuna and Ganga floodplains
• Brick Manufacturing: Clay extraction from alluvial deposits in Punjab and Haryana
• Inland Fisheries: Carp cultivation in West Bengal's deltaic region
• Groundwater Extraction: Tube well operations across Indo-Gangetic plains

Plateau Regions and Resource Extraction

• Coal Mining: Jharkhand's Chotanagpur plateau contributes 40% of India's coal
• Iron Ore Mining: Odisha's Eastern Ghats provide 60% of iron ore
• Bauxite Extraction: Kalahandi plateau in Odisha
• Stone Quarrying: Rajasthan's Aravalli for sandstone and marble
• Forest Products: Madhya Pradesh's Vindhyan plateau for tendu leaves

Coastal Areas and Marine Resources

• Marine Fishing: Gujarat coast leads in fish production (18% national share)
• Salt Production: Kutch region produces 76% of India's salt
• Pearl Cultivation: Tamil Nadu's coastal lagoons
• Seaweed Harvesting: Ramanathapuram coast for agar-agar production

Mountain Regions and Specialized Activities

• Slate Mining: Himachal Pradesh's lesser Himalayas
• Limestone Quarrying: Uttarakhand's Doon valley
• Medicinal Plant Collection: Kashmir's alpine meadows for saffron
• Timber Operations: Arunachal Pradesh's Eastern Himalayas

Examples showing physiography-activity nexus

• Physiography of coastlines → thriving fishing communities (Matsyakaras of Andhra, Mukkuvas of Tamil Nadu).
• Thar Desert → pastoral economy (sheep wool, camel trade).
• Himalayas → forestry, medicinal plants, horticulture + transhumant pastoralism (Gujjars, Bakarwals).
• Plateaus → mining townships (Dhanbad, Singhbhum, Bellary).

Non-farm primary activities not only provide subsistence and livelihood but also form the raw material base for secondary industries like steel, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and fisheries.

These activities demonstrate how India's physiographic diversity creates specialized economic opportunities, supported by initiatives like the National Mineral Information Center (2023) and Blue Economy Policy.