FResources and Development
What are resources? How are they classified?
Everything in our environment which can be used to satisfy our needs, provided, it is
technologically available, economically feasible and culturally acceptable can be termed as a
resource. Their classification is as follows-
1. On the basis of origin- biotic and abiotic
2. On the basis of exhaustibility- renewable and non-renewable
3. On the basis of ownership- individual, community, nation and international
4. On the basis of status of development- potential, developed stock and reserves
An equitable distribution of resources has become essential for a sustained quality of
human life. Explain. OR Describe the importance of judicious use of resources.
An equitable distribution of resources has become essential for a sustained quality of
human. If resources are not used judiciously, it will lead to the following problems-
1. Depletion of resources for satisfying the greed of a few individuals.
2. Accumulation of resources in the hands of a few, thus dividing the society in haves
and have nots or rich and poor.
3. Indiscriminate exploitation of resources has led to global ecological crises such as,
global warming, ozone layer depletion, land degradation, environmental pollution.
What is Agenda 21? When and where was it adopted?
In 1992 at the Rio De Janeiro in Brazil, a summit was held to address urgent problems of
environmental protection and socio-economic problems at the global level. During this
summit global forest principles were endorsed and Agenda 21 was adopted to achieve
sustainable development in the 21st century.
Agenda 21 is a declaration signed by world leaders in 1992 at the United Nations Conference
on environment and development (UNCED). Its objectives are-
1. Achieving global sustainable development
2. Combat environmental damage, poverty, diseases through global cooperation
3. Every local government should draw its own local Agenda 21
Why do we need resource planning? Describe the 3 stages of resource planning in India.
Resource planning is a strategy for the judicious use of resources because of the unequal
and uneven distribution of resources, as some regions are rich in certain types of resources
while other are deficient in those resources. To maintain a balance of the availability of
resources, we need proper resource planning. For example, In India, Arunachal Pradesh has
abundance of water resources but lacks in infrastructural development while Rajasthan is
rich in solar and wind energy but lacks water resources.
Resource planning is a complex process and involves the following steps.
1. Identification and inventory of resources across regions in our country. This involves
surveying, mapping and measurement of the resources
2. Evolving a planning structure with appropriate technology, skill and institutional set
up for implementing resource development plans
3. Matching the resource development plans with the overall national development
plans.
What international efforts have been made for the conservation of resources?
International efforts for conservation of resources are:
1. At the global level, the Club of Rome advocated resource conservation for the first
time in a systematic manner in 1968.
2. In 1974, Gandhian philosophy was once again presented by Schumacher in his book
‘small is beautiful’.
3. The Brundtland commission report, 1987 introduced the concept of sustainable
development and advocated it as a means for resource conservation
4. Another significant contribution was made at the Earth Summit at Rio De Janeiro,
Brazil in 1992.
How are land resources utilised?
Land resources are used for the following purposes
1) Forests
2) Land not available for cultivation-
a) Barren and waste land
b) Land put to non-agricultural uses like roads, building etc
3) Other uncultivated land (excluding fallow land)
a) Permanent pastures and grazing land
b) Land under miscellaneous tree crops groves
c) Culturable waste land
4) Fallow lands
a) Current fallow
b) Other than current fallow
5) Net sown area
Why is forest area important? How does the forest area compare to the desired level?
Forest area is essential for the maintenance of ecological balance and the livelihood of
millions of people living near forests. The forest area in the country is far less than the
desired 33% of the total geographical area outlined by the national forest policy of 1952.
Why is the net sown area in Punjab higher than Arunachal Pradesh?
The net sown area is Punjab is more than 80% in Punjab while it is less than 10% in
Arunachal Pradesh because while Arunachal Pradesh receives heavy rainfall and is covered
with dense forests making large scale farming difficult, Punjab has fertile soil and a well-
developed irrigation system supporting large scale farming.
What is land degradation? What are the factors responsible?
Land degradation refers to the decrease in the quality and productivity of the land due to
continuous use of land over a long period of time without taking appropriate measures to
conserve and manage it. The factors responsible are-
1) Deforestation
2) Mining and quarrying in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha
3) Over grazing in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra
4) Over- irrigation in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh
5) Mineral processing industries
List some measures to conserve land and reduce degradation.
Land conservation measures include-
1) Afforestation
2) Proper management of grazing
3) Control of mining activities
4) Planting shelter belts of plants and growing thorny bushes on sand dunes
5) Proper discharge and disposal of industrial waste.
Write a short note on alluvial, black, red and yellow, laterite, arid and forest soil
Alluvial soil
1) Alluvial soil is deposited by the Himalayan rivers the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra.
2) It is found over the entire northern plain and also extended in Rajasthan, Gujarat and
deltas of Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri
3) Alluvial soil is very fertile and ideal for growing sugarcane, paddy, wheat and other cereal
4) It contains adequate proportion of potash, phosphoric acid and lime
5) It is classified into two types: Khadar (new alluvial) and Bangar (old alluvial)
Black soil
1) It is black in colour and also called regur soil made up of lava flows
2) It is found in the plateaus of Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Malwa, MP and Chhattisgarh and
extend along Godavari and Krishna valleys.
3) It is ideal for growing cotton and also called black cotton soil
4) It is rich in calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime
5) It develops deep cracks in hot weather which helps in aeration of soil & sticky when wet.
Red and Yellow soil
1) Red soil develops on crystalline igneous rocks in areas of low rainfall
2) It is found in parts of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, southern parts of middle ganga plain and
along the piedmont zone of western ghats.
3) This soil develops a reddish colour due to diffusion of iron in crystalline and
metamorphic rocks and looks yellow in hydrated form.
Laterite soil
1) It develops under tropical and sub-tropical climate with alternate wet and dry season
and results of intense leeching by heavy rain
2) Found mostly in southern states, western ghat region of Maharashtra, Odisha, parts of
West Bengal and North-east regions.
3) It is ideal for growing tea, coffee and cashew nut.
4) It is humus poor
5) They are prone to erosion and degradation due to their position on the landscape.
Arid soil
1) Arid soils range from red to brown in colour and are sandy in texture and saline in nature
2) Found in Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab
3) This soil has poor fertility
4) In some areas salt content is very high and lacks moisture and humus
5) The soil can be made cultivatable through proper irrigation
Forest soil
1) According to where they are formed, their texture varies. Loamy and silty in valley sides
while coarse grained in upper slopes
2) Found in hilly and mountainous areas where sufficient rain and forests are available.
3) Soils found on lower parts of the valleys are fertile
4) In snow covered areas, these soils experience denudation and are acidic with low humus
What is soil erosion? How is it caused? How can it be prevented?
The denudation of soil cover and subsequent washing down is known as soil erosion.
It is caused by human activities like overgrazing, deforestation, mining and natural activities
such as wind, glacier and water. It can be prevented by the following methods
1) Contour farming- ploughing along contour lines
2) Terrace farming- cutting steps out of slopes making terraces
3) Strip cropping- strips of grass left to grow between crops to break the force of wind.
4) Shelter belts- planting lines of trees to create shelter
