Geography

Resources and Development

Resources Development
 Technologically
accessible
Culturally
acceptable
Everything available in our environment
which can be used to satisfy our needs, Resources
provided, it is technologically accessible,
economically feasible and culturally
acceptable can be termed as ‘Resource’.

Economically
feasible
Interdependent relationship between

c
nature, technology and institutions.
What we are going to study in this chapter?

❖ Classification of resources Types of Resources

❖ Development of resources Agenda 21

❖ Resource planning Resource planning in India, Conservation of Resources

❖ Land resources
❖ Land utilisation
❖ Land use pattern in India
❖ Land degradation and conservation measures
❖ Soil as a resource Alluvial soils,Black soil,Red and Yellow soils,
laterite soil, Arid soils Forest soils.

❖ Soil erosion and soil conservation

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/outcomedocuments/agenda21
 Classification of Resources

a. On the basis of origin

I. Biotic - These are obtained from biosphere and

have life.
Example: Plants, animals, etc.

II. Abiotic - All those things which are composed of

non-living things are called abiotic resources.
Example: Air, water, etc.
 b. On the basis of exhaustibility

I. Renewable - The resources which can be renewed or

reproduced by physical, chemical or mechanical
processes are known as renewable or replenishable
resources.
Example: Solar energy and wind energy

II. Non renewable - These resources take millions of

years in their formation. Some of the resources like
metals are recyclable and some like fossil fuels
cannot be recycled and get exhausted with their use.
Example: Coal
 c. On the basis of ownership

I. Individual Resources - These are owned privately by

individuals.
Example: Plot, houses and other properties

II. Community Owned Resources - There are resources

which are accessible to all the members of the
community.
Example: Burial ground, picnic spot, public parks
 c. On the basis of ownership

III. National Resources - Technically, all the resources belong to the nation.

But for an understanding, resources coming under the territory of country are known as
natural resources.
Example: All the minerals, Water Resourcess, forests, wildlife, land within the political
boundaries and oceanic area up to 12 nautical miles (22.2 km).

IV. International Resources - Resources which are not being owned by any specific nation,
there are international institutions which regulate such resources.
Example: The oceanic resources beyond 200 nautical miles of the Exclusive Economic Zone
belong to open ocean and no individual country can utilise these without the concurrence
of international institutions.
 d. On the basis of status of development

I. Potential Resources - Resources which are found in a region, but have not been utilised.
II. Developed Resources - Resources which are surveyed and their quality and quantity have
been determined for utilisation. The development of resources depends on technology
and level of their feasibility.

III. Stock - Materials in the environment which have the potential to satisfy human needs but
human beings do not have the appropriate technology to access these, are stock.

IV. Reserves - Reserves are the subset of the stock, which can be put into use with the help of
existing technical ‘know-how’ but their use has not been started.
d. On the basis of status of development

Potential Developed Stock Reserves

Availability of
technology

Willingness to use

Are we able to
use it?
 Development of Resources

Indiscriminate use Problems

● Depletion of resources for satisfying the greed of a Therefor for Sustainable

few individuals. existence Sustainable
● Accumulation of resources in few hands, which, in development is essential.
turn, divided the society into two segments i.e.
haves and have nots.
Rio De Janeiro Earth Summit,
● Indiscriminate exploitation of resources has led to
global ecological crises such as, global warming, 1992
ozone layer depletion.
Agenda 21

An equitable distribution of resources has become essential

for a sustained quality of life and global peace.
 Sustainable Development Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, 1992

Sustainable economic development A summit where more than 100 heads of states
means ‘development should take place met in Rio de Janeiro, the Summit was convened
without damaging the environment, for addressing urgent problems of environmental
and development in the present should protection and socioeconomic development at the
not compromise with the needs of the global level.
future generations.’
The Rio Convention endorsed the global Forest
Principles and adopted Agenda 21.
 Agenda 21

Local government should draw it’s local

Agendas. Global co-operation on Declaration signed at Rio De Janeiro,
common interests, mutual needs and 1992 (UNCED)
shared responsibilities.

How?

Combat environmental damage, Achieving global sustainable

poverty and disease development
 Resource Planning

● Why do we need resource planning?

Explain
Unequal and uneven distribution of resources.

∴ Balanced resource planning at the national, state, regional and local levels is required.
3 steps of resource planning in India -

1. Identifying 2. Planning Structure 3. Overall Development

3 steps of resource planning in India -

I. Identification and inventory of resources across the regions of the country.

Surveying, mapping and qualitative and quantitative estimation and measurement

of the resources.

II. Evolving a planning structure endowed with appropriate technology, skill and
institutional set up for implementing resource development plans.

III. Matching the resource development plans with overall national development plans.
 Availability of Resources Necessary for the development.

But merely availability of the resources in the absence of technology and institutions may
hinder development.

Explain

Rich in resources but economically backward.

Countries
Poor resources base but economically developed.

Connect with the History of Colonisation

Conservation of Resources

“There is enough for everybody’s need, but not for anybody’s greed”
Mahatma Gandhi

● He placed the greedy and selfish individuals and exploitative

nature of modern technology as the root cause for resource
depletion at the global level.
● He was against mass production and wanted to replace it with
the production by the masses.
International efforts for conservation of resources

● At the international level, the Club of Rome

advocated resource conservation for the first
time in a more systematic way in 1968.
● Subsequently, in 1974, Gandhian philosophy
was once again presented by Schumacher in
his book Small is Beautiful.
● The seminal contribution with respect to
resource conservation at the global level was
made by the Brundtland Commission Report,
1987.
● This report introduced the concept of
‘Sustainable Development’ and advocated
it as a means for resource conservation,
which was subsequently published in a
book entitled Our Common Future.
● Another significant contribution was made
at the Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil in 1992.
 Land Resources

➔ Uses It supports natural vegetation, wild life, human life, economic

activities, transport and communication systems.

➔ Limitations Land is an asset of finite magnitude.

➔ Distribution of Landmass

Plain area 43% Mountains 30% Plateau 27%

Significance
 Land Utilisation

● Forest

● Land not available for cultivation

a. Barren and waste land.
b. Land put to non agricultural use - Road, buildings, etc.

● Other uncultivated land (excluding fallow land)

a. Permanent pastures and grazing land.
b. Land under miscellaneous tree crops groves (not included in net sown area).
c. Culturable waste land (left uncultivated for more than 5 agricultural years).
● Fallow land
a. Current fallow-(left without cultivation for one or less than one agricultural year).
b. Other than current fallow-(left uncultivated for the past 1 to 5 agricultural years).

● Net sown area - Area sown at least once in a year.

Area sown more than once in an agricultural year plus net sown area is known as gross
cropped area.
 Land use Pattern in India

Understand the heading

The use of land is determined both by physical factors such as topography, climate, soil
types as well as human factors such as population density, technological capability and
culture and traditions etc.

● Total geographical area of India 3.28 million sq. km

Land use data, however, is available only for 93 per cent of the total geographical area.

Why?
● The land under permanent pasture has also decreased.

Question

● Most of the other than the current fallow lands are either of poor quality or the cost of
cultivation of such land is very high.

● The pattern of net sown area varies greatly from one state to another.

Reasons for the

It is over 80 per cent of the total area in Punjab and Haryana and
variation
less than 10 per cent in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and
Andaman Nicobar Islands.
● Forest Area 33 percent of geographical area.

Far lower than the desired percent outlined in the National Forest Policy (1952).

Understand the significance

❏ Essential for maintenance of the ecological balance.

❏ The livelihood of millions of people who live on the fringes of these forests depends upon it.

● Waste land includes rocky, arid and desert areas and land put to other non-agricultural uses
includes settlements, roads, railways, industry etc.

Challenges
 Land Degradation and Conservation Measures

Land and We

Ninety-five per cent of our basic needs for food, shelter and clothing are obtained from land.

Human activities have not only brought about degradation of land but have also aggravated
the pace of natural forces to cause damage to land.

Explain
 Causes Measures
● Deforestation ● Afforestation
● Overgrazing ● Management of grazing land
● Mining and Quarrying ● Regulating mining
● Over irrigation ● Drip irrigation, sprinklers
● Minerals processing industries ● Plantation of shelter belts
growing thorny bushes.
 Soil as a Resource

Question Difference between land and soil.

Soil Most important renewable natural resources.

● Medium of plant growth.

● Supports different types of living organisms.
● It is a living system.

➔ Relief, parent rock or bedrock, climate, vegetation and other

forms of life and time are important factors in the formation
of soil.
 On the basis of the factors responsible for soil
formation, colour, thickness, texture, age,
chemical and physical properties, the soils of India
are classified in different types.

● Alluvial soil
● Black soil
● Red and Yellow soil
● Laterite soil
● Arid soil
● Forest soil
 Alluvial Soil

Most widely spread and important soil.

Formation and location

● These have been deposited by three important

Himalayan river systems - the Indus, the Ganga and
the Brahmaputra.
● Also found in the eastern coastal plains particularly
in the deltas of the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the
Krishna and the Kaveri rivers.
Alluvial soils are very fertile

➔ Contain adequate proportion of potash, phosphoric

acid and lime.
➔ Ideal for the growth of sugarcane, paddy, wheat and
other cereal and pulse crops.

∴ Regions of alluvial soils are intensively cultivated

and densely populated.
 ● The alluvial soil consists of various proportions of sand, silt and clay.

Duars, Chos, and Terai in Piedmont plains.

Apart from the size of their grains or components, soils are also described on the basis of their age.

Bangar Khadar

● Old alluvial ● New alluvial

● Less fertile due to higher concentration ● It is the more fertile than Bangar and it
of kanker nodules. consist of more fine particles.
 Black Soil

● Black in colour, also known as regur soils and cotton soil.

Formation and Location

➢ Climatic condition along with the parent rock material

are the important factors for the formation of black soil.
➢ This soil type is found in Deccan trap (Basalt) region is
made up of lava flows.
➢ They cover the plateaus of Maharashtra, Saurashtra,
Malwa, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and extend in
the south east direction along the Godavari and the
Krishna valleys.
● Black soils are made up of extremely fine clayey material.

Well-known for their capacity to hold moisture.

● Rich in soil nutrients, such as calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime.
● These soils are generally poor in phosphoric contents.

Similar to dough

Impact
Develop deep cracks during hot weather
and sticky when wet.
 Red and Yellow Soil
Formation and Location

● Red soil develops on crystalline igneous rocks in areas of

low rainfall in the eastern and southern parts of the
Deccan plateau.
● Also found in the parts of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, southern
parts of the middle Ganga plain and along the Piedmont
Zone of Western Ghats.

● Reddish in colour Due to diffusion of iron in

crystalline metamorphic rocks.
● It looks yellow when it occurs in hydrated form.
 Laterite Soil
Formation and Location

● The laterite soil develops under tropical and subtropical

climate with alternate wet and dry season.
● This soil is the result of intense leaching due to heavy
rain.
● Lateritic soils are mostly deep to very deep, acidic,
generally deficient in plant nutrients.

Occur mostly in southern states, Western Ghats region

of Maharashtra, Odisha, some parts of West Bengal and
North-east regions.
 Characteristics

● Laterite soil is generally poor in humus. Impact

● Prone to erosion and degradation.

Due to their position on landscape.

● After adopting appropriate soil conservation techniques

particularly in the hilly areas of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil
Nadu, this soil is very useful for growing tea and coffee.
● Red laterite soils in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala
are more suitable for crops like cashew nut.
 Arid Soil

● Sandy in texture and saline in nature.

In some areas the salt content is very high and

common salt is obtained by evaporating the water.

● Arid soil lacks humus and moisture. Why?

● The lower horizons of the soil are occupied by Kankar
because of the increasing calcium content downwards.

Agriculture

After proper irrigation these soils become cultivable as

has been in the case of western Rajasthan.
 Forest Soil

● Found in the hilly and mountainous areas where

sufficient rain forests are available.

Characteristics

Soil texture varies according to the mountain

environment where they are formed.

● Loamy and silty in valley sides.

● Coarse grained in the upper slopes.
● In the snow covered areas of Himalayas, these
soils experience denudation and are acidic with
low humus content.

Explain

● The soils found in the lower parts of the valleys

particularly on the river terraces and alluvial fans
are fertile.
 Soil Erosion and Soil Conservation
What is soil erosion?

● The denudation of the soil cover and subsequent washing down is described as soil erosion.

Causes of soil erosion

Human activities Deforestation, overgrazing, construction and mining, defective farming method.
Natural forces Wind, glaciers and water leads to soil erosion.

● Gullies are being created due to running water.

● Bad land known as Ravines in chambal basin.
● Sheet erosion: When sheet of topsoil is washed away due to water flow.
● Wind erosion: When loose soil or soil at slope blows due to wind.
Soil Conservation Methods

Contour ploughing Strip cropping

Terrace cultivation Shelterbelt farming