CHAPTER-1
RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT
TOPIC-1 Development of Resources and Resource Planning
Concepts Covered:
Judicious use of resources and their conservation, Resource planning
Revision Notes
What are Resources?
Everything available in our environment which can be used to
satisfy our needs, provided it is technologically accessible,
economically feasible and culturally acceptable can be termed as
‘Resource’.
Resources are materials which can be transformed in such a way
that they become more valuable and useful for fulfilling human
needs.
Natural endowments in the form of land, water, vegetation and
minerals are called natural resources.
For a sustained quality of life and global peace, it is essential that resources should be distributed equally.
Sustainable Economic Development: It means development should take place without damaging the
environment and development in the present should not compromise with the needs of the future generations.
[Board, 2020]
Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, 1992: In June 1992, for achieving sustainable development in the 21st century,
more than 100 heads of states participated in the first International Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
The main focus of this summit was to protect the environment and socio-economic development at the global
level. The leaders of the states signed the Declaration on Global Climate Change and Biological Diversity.
Agenda 21, 1992: At the UNCED, the declaration was signed by world leaders in 1992. The main objectives
were to combat environmental degradation, poverty, diseases through global co-operation.
Resource Planning and Conservation: Resource planning is a technique for the proper utilization of resources in
a manner to satisfy the needs of present and save the resources for future generations.
Resource planning involves the following steps: [Board, 2016, 17]
Identification and inventory of resources, which involves surveying, mapping and quantitative as well as
qualitative estimation and measurement of resources.
Implementation of resource development plans, which involves creating a planning structure equipped with
appropriate technology, skill and institutional setup.
Matching resource development plan with overall national development plans.
Resource development and planning reduce wastage, keeps the environment pollution free, and take care of
future needs. The management of resources by humans is known as Conservation of resources combined with a
judicious and planned use of resources. Optimum exploitation is a must, but over-exploitation should be checked.
[Board, 2022]
KEY TERMS
Natural Resource: A natural resource is something that is found in nature and can be used by people for economic gain. Earth’s natural
resources include sunlight, air, water, plants, animals, soil, stone, minerals, fossil fuels, etc.
Resource Planning: It is a blueprint for judicious utilization of resources.
Conservation of resource: It means judicious use of resources presently and safe-guarding the resources for future use.
COMPETENCY BASED CURRICULAR GOAL
Curricular Goals: CG-4 Develops an understanding of the inter-relationship between human beings and their physical environment and how
that influences the livelihoods, culture, and biodiversity of the region with respect to Development of Resources and Resource planning
Points Related to the Goals:
1. The goal emphasizes the significance of resource planning, which involves identifying and inventorying resources, aligning development
plans with national plans (India), and implementing appropriate technology and institutional setups.
2. This goal emphasizes the importance of resources for human survival and quality of life, highlighting the consequences of indiscriminate use,
including depletion, unequal distribution, and ecological crises.
3. The goal highlights global efforts for resource conservation, including the Club of Rome’s advocacy, the Brundtland Commission’s
Sustainable Development initiative, and the Earth Summit’s endorsement of Agenda 21.
TOPIC-2 Land and Soil as Resources
Concepts Covered:
Land Resources, Soil and Types of Soil Land resource, land degradation and conservation measures Soil, its types, soil erosion and Soil
conservation
Revision Notes
Land resources and their uses:
India has a variety of relief features like mountains, plateaus and plains. 43% of the country is covered with
plains and they provide cultivable land for growing crops. 30% of the country is covered by mountains and they
provide natural resources like forests and wildlife. 27% of the country is covered by plateaus, which contain
mineral resources, forests and some arable land.
Land resources are used for the following purposes:
(A) Forests
(B) Land not available for cultivation:
(a) Barren and wasteland
(b) Land put to non- agricultural uses, e.g., buildings, roads, factories, etc.
(C) 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.
(D) 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.
(E) Net sown area: Net Sown Area is the amount of area that is covered with the crop throughout the area but is
only taken into account once.
The total geographical area of India is 3.28 million sq km. Land use data, however, is available only for 93% of
the total geographical area.
At present there are about 130 million hectares of degraded land in India of which 28% belong to the forest
degraded area, 56% of it is water eroded and the rest is affected by saline and alkaline deposits.
The land use pattern in India is determined by both physical factors such as topography, climate, soil types; human
factors such as population density, technological capability, culture, traditions, etc.
Human activities that caused degradation of land in India: [Board, 2015]
Deforestation
Overgrazing
Mining and quarrying
Other factors that led to degradation of land in India:
Over irrigation making land saline and alkaline
Dust generated from cement and ceramic industry
Industrial effluents
Suggestions for conservation of land:
Afforestation
Proper control on grazing
Planting of shelter belts of plants
Stabilisation of sand dunes by planting thorny bushes
Proper utilization of wasteland; Control on mining
Discharge of industrial effluents and wastes after treatment
Soil: It is the most important renewable natural resource. It is the medium of plant growth and supports different
types of living organisms on the earth.
Relief, parent rock or bedrock, climate, vegetation and other forms of life and time are important factors in the
formation of soil.
Soil also consists of organic material (humus) and inorganic materials.
Factors responsible for the formation of the soil:
Parent material Time Climate Vegetation types Topography Biological factors
of the region
Soilsof India can be classified on the following basis: India has varied relief features, landforms, climatic
realms and vegetation types. These features contributed to the development of various types of soils.
Types of soils found in India:
Alluvial soil:
Widely spread in north Indian plains, alluvial soil as a whole is very fertile.
It is classified as: Khadar (new alluvial) and Bangar (old alluvial). [SQP, 2020]
This soil contains adequate proportion of potash, phosphoric acid and lime.
This soil is ideal for the growth of sugarcane, paddy, wheat and other cereal and pulse crops.
Black soil:
Also called regur soil, this soil is black.
This soil is ideal for growing cotton.
This soil is found in the plateaus of Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Malwa, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and
extends in the south-east direction along the Godavari and the Krishna valleys.
This soil is rich in soil nutrients, such as calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime, but poor in phosphorus
contents.
The black soil is made up of extremely fine, i.e., clayey material. It is well-known for its capacity to hold moisture.
Red and yellow soil: [Board, 2015]
This soil develops in areas of low rainfall or crystalline igneous rocks.
It is found in Odisha, Chhattisgarh and the piedmont zone of the Western Ghats.
Due to the diffusion of iron in crystalline and metamorphic rocks, its colour becomes reddish.
Laterite soil:
This soil develops in areas of high temperature and heavy rainfall.
Humus content in the soil is low.
It is mainly found in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and hilly areas of Assam and Odisha.
It is good for tea, coffee, cashew nut, etc.
Arid soil:
This soil is generally sandy in texture and saline in nature.
This soil lacks humus and moisture.
This soil is found in Western Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana.
The lower horizons of the soil are occupied by Kankar.
Forest soil:
Thissoil is found in hilly and mountainous regions.
Thissoil is loamy and silty in valley sides, while coarse grained in the upper slopes.
Soil Erosion:
The denudation and subsequent washing down of topsoil which is covered by agents of nature, e.g., wind, water
and glacier are called soil erosion.
Natural forces like wind, glaciers, and water lead to soil erosion.
Sometimes, human activities like deforestation, overgrazing, construction and mining also lead to soil erosion.
Types of soil erosion:
Gully Erosion: Sometimes running water cuts through the clayey soils and makes deep channels as gullies. The
land becomes unfit for cultivation and is known as bad land.
Sheet Erosion: In the Chambal basin, such lands are called ravines. Sometimes water flows as a sheet over large
areas down a slope. In such cases, the topsoil is washed away. This is known as sheet erosion.
Wind Erosion: When wind blows loose soil off flat or sloping land, it is known as wind erosion.
Defective Farming Methods: Soil erosion is also caused by defective methods of farming. For example,
ploughing in a wrong way, i.e., up and down the slope forms channels for the quick flow of water, leading to soil
erosion.
Measures for soil conservation: [Board, 2023-24]
Contour ploughing : It is a method of cultivation along the contour lines which helps to slow the flow of water
downslope.
Terrace farming : Slopes are cut in form of steps which restricts the water flow to a great extent. This type of
farming is well developed in western and central Himalayas.
Strip cropping : Process of leaving strips of grasses in between the crops or alternatively growing different
crops on same field, which breaks the force of wind.
Shelter belts of trees : Found mainly on sand dunes and coastal belts, tress are planted in front of crop land to
prevent erosion from wind.
Plugging of gullies: It is a method of building temporary dams or planting trees to check the flow of water.
Afforestation: It is a method of planting trees in an area which was previously devoid of vegetation.
Control of mining activities : Restriction should be laid upon illegal mining.
KEY TERMS
Land Use Pattern: It is the arrangement for the uses of land for different purposes.
Khadar: It has been formed by the deposition of the new alluvial soil and is found in the low land.
Bangar: It consists of older alluvial soil which is higher in sandy loam content.
Denudation: It is the wearing away of the terrestrial surface by processes including weathering and erosion.
Ravine: A small narrow steep-sided valley that is larger than a gully and smaller than a canyon and that is usually worn by running water.
KEY FACTS
The soil in India is influenced by the altitude, climate and disproportionate rainfall.
Soil is a living system. A single gram of healthy soil contains millions of organisms including earthworms, nematodes, mites, insects, fungi and
bacteria.
COMPETENCY BASED CURRICULAR GOAL
Curricular Goals: CG-4 Develops an understanding of the inter-relationship between human beings and their physical environment and how
that influences the livelihoods, culture, and biodiversity of the region with respect to Land and Soil as Resources
Points Related to the Goals:
1. The goal emphasizes the importance of land as a natural resource for various life and economic activities, emphasizing its finite nature
and the need for sustainable use.
2. This also covers the interaction between humans and nature through technology, highlighting the role of humans in transforming
materials into resources and classification criteria.
