Resources and Development
1) 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
2) BIOTIC RESOURCES-These are obtained from biosphere and have life such as human
beings, flora and fauna, fishers, livestock etc. 3) ABIOTIC RESOURCES-All those things which
are composed of non-living things are called abiotic resources. For example- rocks and
metals.
4) RENEWABLE RESOURCES-The resources which can be renewed or reproduced by
physical, chemical or mechanical processes are known as renewable or replenish able
resources. For Example, solar and wind energy, water etc.
5) NON RENEWABLE RESOURCES-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.
6) INDIVIDUAL RESOURCES- These are owned privately by individuals.
7) COMMUNITY OWNED RESOURCES- There is resources which are accessible to all the
members of the community.
8) NATIONAL RESOURCES-All the resources belong to the nation. The country has legal
powers to acquire even private property for public good.
9) POTENTIAL RESORCES-Resources which are found in a region, but have not been utilized.
10) DEVELOPED RESORCES-Resources which are surveyed and the inequality and quantity
have been determined for utilization.
11) 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 included
among stock.
12) SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT- Sustainable economic development means
"development should take place without damaging the environment, and development in
the present should not compromise with the needs of the future generations
KEY WORDS OF THE LESSON
1. Abiotic Resources: All those resources which are composed of non living things eg
land, water, soil
2. Afforestation: It means planting trees.
3. Biotic Resources: All those resources which have life. Eg. Forest and their product
agricultural crop, animals and birds, marine life
4. Conservation: It means judicious and planned use of natural resource so that we can
get the greatest possible benefit from these resources over the longest possible period
of time.
5. Fallow land: It is a cultivable land which is being allowed to rest, uncropped or
partially cropped for one or more reason so that it can regain its fertility.
6. Gully Erosion: It takes place when running water cuts deep ravines in the absence of
vegetation. It makes soil unfit for cultivation
7. Land degradation: Rendering the land unfit for cultivation is called degradation of
land.
8. Renewable Resources: These are the resources which can be renewed or reproduced
by physical, mechanical, chemical processes in a given period of time, eg, solar energy,
forest, agricultural product.
9. Man made Resources: These are those resources which are created by human beings
with the help of machines.
10. Natural Resource: Resources which are endowment/gift of nature. eg. River,
mountain, land, vegetation, minerals.
ONE WORD QUESTION
1. Who wrote the book 'Small is Beautiful?
Ans. Schumacher
2. Which type of soil is found in the river deltas of the Eastern Coast?
Ans. Alluvial Soil
3. Write the two types of renewable resources.
Ans. Continuous and Biological resources
4. From which Five Year Plan has Indla made concerted efforts for achieving the goals of
resource planning?
Ans. First Five Year Plan
5. Give any two factors which determine the land use pattern of anation.
Ans. Topography and Population
6. How much degraded land is present in India?
Ans. 130 million hectare
7. By which name is the bad land known in Chambal basin?
Ans. Ravines
8. Name the institution which is empowered by the government of India to acquire land?
Ans. Urban Development Authorities
9. What is strip cropping?
Ans. Large fields divided into strips. Strips of grass are left to grow between the crops.
This breaks up the force of the wind. This method is known as strip-cropping.
10. Name the way which helps the sand dune to stabilization.
Ans. Shelter Belts have contributed significantly to the establishment of sand dunes.
Three Marks Questions Question-
1 How can the problem of deforestation be solved?
Solution: There are many ways to solve the problems of land degradation.
1. Aforestation and proper management of grazing can help to some extent.
2. Planting of shelter belts of plants, control on over grazing and stabilization of sand dunes
by growing thorny bushes
3. In industrial and suburban areas, proper management of waste lands, control of
mining activities, proper discharge and disposal of industrial effluents and wastes after
treatment.
Question-2 Why is Soil the most important renewable natural resource. Explain.
Solution: It is the medium of plant growth and supports different types of living
organisms on the earth. The soil is a living system. It takes millions of years to form soil
upto a few cm in depth. Relief, parent rock or bed rock, climate, vegetation and other
forms of life and time are important factors in the formation of soil. Various forces of
nature such as change in temperature, actions of running water, wind and glaciers,
activities of decomposers etc. contribute to the formation of soil. Chemical and organic
changes, which take place in the soil, are equally important. Soil also consists of organic
(humus) and inorganic materials.
Question-3 Give a brief note on the productivity of alluvial soil.
Solution: Alluvial soils as a whole are very fertile. Mostly these soils contain adequate
proportion of potash, phosphoric acid and lime which are ideal for the growth of
sugarcane, paddy, wheat and other cereal and pulse crops. Due to its high fertility,
regions of alluvial soils are intensively cultivated and densely populated. Soils in the
drier areas are more alkaline and can be productive after proper treatment and
irrigation.
Five Marks Questions
Question 1 Explain land use pattern in India and why has the land under forest not
increased much since 1960-61?
Answer: Land resources in India are primarily divided into agricultural land, forest land,
pasture and grazing land, and wasteland. Wasteland includes rocky, arid and desert areas
and land used for non-agricultural purposes like housing, roads, industry, etc.
According to recent data available, the percentage of net sown area (NSA) in India is about
54% of the total reporting area (if, the other than current fallow lands is included). . 22.5% is
covered by forests, and 3.45% is used for grazing. The rest is a wasteland, with traces of
miscellaneous cultivation. Improper use of forest land has led to land degradation and
made conservation of forests difficult. Human activities like deforestation, overgrazing,
mining, quarrying, etc have contributed to the slow growth rate of forests. Thus, land
under forest has increased by only about 4% since 1960-61.
Question 2 How have technical and economic development led to more
consumption of resources?
Answer: The following factors have been responsible for technical and economic
development leading to overconsumption of resources. In colonial times, imperial
powers used their technological and economic superiority to establish control over
other countries and thereby gain access to the latter’s resources. One country’s
resources were accessible to the citizens of its colonial ruler too, leading to increased
consumption. Technical progress also results in inefficient machinery, increased
production, and greater consumption of resources. Technological development and
economic progress have led to populations increasing due to low mortality at all ages.
With new developments in medicine and health care, fewer people die due to accidents,
diseases, childbirth, etc. This too has contributed to higher consumption of resources.
