RESOURCE AND DEVELOPMENT

RESOURCE DEFINATION:
Everything available in our environment which can be used to satisfy our needs,
provided, it is technologically , economically and culturally acceptable can be termed as
‘Resource’.
These resources can be classified in the following ways :
(a) On the basis of origin – biotic and abiotic
(b) On the basis of exhaustibility – renewable and non-renewable
(c) On the basis of ownership – individual, community, national and international
(d) On the basis of status of development – potential, developed stock and reserves.

DEVELOPMENT OF RESOURCE:
• Use of resources for satisfying the greed of a few individuals.
• Accumulation of resources in few hands, which, in turn, divided the society into two
segments i.e. haves and have nots or rich and poor.
• Exploitation of resources has led to global environmental crises such as, global
warming, ozone layer depletion, environmental pollution and land degradation.

Sustainable development:
Sustainable economic development aims to ensure environmental preservation and
balance current development with future generation needs

SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:
IMPROVING THE LIFE OF PEOPLE AND ALSO THE ECONOMY OF A
COUNTRY IS CALLED SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, 1992:

• In June 1992, more than 100 heads of states met in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, for the first
International Earth Summit.
• The Summit was convened for addressing urgent problems of environmental protection
and socioeconomic development at the global level. The assembled leaders signed the
Declaration on Global Climatic Change and Biological Diversity.
• The Rio Convention endorsed the global Forest Principles and adopted Agenda 21 for
achieving Sustainable Development in the 21st century.

Agenda 21:
• It is the declaration signed by world leaders in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development (UNCED)
• achieving global sustainable development. It is an agenda to combat environmental
damage, poverty, disease through global co-operation on common interests, mutual
needs and shared responsibilities.

RESOURCE PLANNING:
• A technique for the careful and planned use of resources .
• The states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are rich in minerals
and coal deposits.
• Arunachal Pradesh has abundance of water resources but lacks in infrastructural
development.
• The state of Rajasthan is very well endowed with solar and wind energy but lacks
in water resources.
• The cold desert of Ladakh is relatively isolated from the rest of the country.
• It has very rich cultural heritage but it is deficient in water, infrastructure and
some vital minerals.
• This calls for balanced resource planning at the national, state, regional and local
levels.

Resource Planning in India:

Resource planning is a complex process which involves :
(i) identification and inventory of resources by surveying, mapping and qualitative
and quantitative
(ii) Evolving a planning structure endowed with appropriate technology, skill etc..
(iii) Matching the resource development plans with overall national development
plans.

First Five Year Plan launched after Independence:

• Developing a suitable planning structure
 • Aligning with developing plans through surviving mapping and
estimation
• Identifying and inventorying resource across region

Conservation of Resources:
Irrational consumption and over-utilisation of resources may lead to socio-
economic and environmental problems.
Leader like Gandhi have emphasised and addressed the greedy and exploitative
technology advocating for mass production to nature resource depletion at the
global level.

LAND RESOURCES:
• India has land under a variety of relief features, namely; mountains, plateaus, plains and
islands.
• 43 per cent of the land area is plain, which provides facilities for agriculture and industry.
• 30 per cent of the total surface area of the country and ensure perennial flow of some
rivers, provide facilities for tourism and ecological aspects.
• A 27 per cent of the area of the country is the plateau region. It possesses rich reserves of
minerals, fossil fuels and forests.

LAND UTILISATION:
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, e.g. buildings, roads, factories, etc.
3. 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) Cultruable waste land (left uncultivated for more than 5 agricultural years).
4. Fallow lands
(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).
5. Net sown area the physical extent of land on which crops are sown harvested is known
as net sown area.
LAND USE PATTERN IN INDIA:
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 is 3.28 million sq km. Land use data

LAND DEGRADATION AND CONSERVATION MEASURES:

LAND DEGRADATION:

• Some human activities such as deforestation, over grazing, mining and quarrying too
have contributed significantly in land degradation.
• Mining sites are abandoned in states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and
Odisha deforestation due to mining have caused severe land degradation.
• In states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra overgrazing is one
of the main reasons for land degradation.
• In the states of Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, over irrigation is responsible for
land degradation
CONSERVATION METHOD:
Afforestation and proper management of grazing can help to some extent. Planting of shelter
belts of plants, control on over grazing, stabilisation of sand dunes
SOIL AS RESOURCE :
ALLUVIAL SOIL:
• Most widely spread and important soil.
• Alluvial soil is also found in the eastern coastal plains such as the Godavari, the
Krishna and the Kaveri rivers.
• New alluvial soil is called Khadar. Old alluvial soil is called Bangar
• Alluvial soils as a whole are very fertile.
• Alluvial soil contain adequate proportion of potash, phosphoric acid and lime.
• Cereal and pulse crops are grown in alluvial soil

Black Soil:
• These soils are black in colour and are also known as regur soils.
• Black soil is ideal for growing cotton and is also known as black cotton soil.
• Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Malwa, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in this states black
soil are present
• The black soils are made up of extremely fine i.e. clayey material.
• They are well-known for their capacity to hold moisture.
• they are rich in soil nutrients, such as calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime.
• These soils are generally poor in phosphoric contents.
• They develop deep cracks during hot weather, which helps in the proper aeration of the
soil.

Red and Yellow Soils:

• Red soil develops on crystalline igneous rocks
• Yelllow and red soils are also found in parts of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, southern
parts of the middle Ganga plain and along the piedmont zone of the Western
Ghats.
• These soils develop a reddish colour due to diffusion of iron in crystalline and
metamorphic rocks.
• It looks yellow when it occurs in a hydrated form

Laterite Soil:
• Laterite has been derived from the Latin word ‘later’ which means brick.
• 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
• 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 Soils:
• Arid soils range from red to brown in colour.
• They are generally sandy in texture and saline in nature.
• Due to the dry climate, high temperature, evaporation is faster and the soil lacks
humus and moisture.
• The lower horizons of the soil are occupied by Kankar because of the increasing
calcium content downwards.
• The Kankar layer formations in the bottom horizons restrict the infiltration of
water.

Forest Soils:
• These soils are found in the hilly and mountainous areas
• soils texture varies according to the mountain environment
• They are loamy and silty in valley sides and coarse grained in the upper slopes.
• In the snow covered areas of Himalayas, these soils experience denudation and
are acidic with low humus content.
Soil Erosion and Soil Conservation:
1. Causes of Soil Erosion:
• Soil erosion is caused by both natural forces (wind, water, glaciers) and human
activities (deforestation, over-grazing, construction, mining).
• Human activities often disrupt the natural balance between soil formation and
erosion, leading to accelerated erosion rates.
2. Types of Soil Erosion:
• Gully Erosion:Running water cuts through clayey soils, forming deep channels
known as gullies.
• Sheet Erosion: Water flows as a sheet over large areas, washing away the topsoil.
• Wind Erosion:Loose soil is blown off flat or sloping land by wind, leading to soil
loss.
3. Effects of Soil Erosion:
• Reduced soil fertility and productivity.
• Loss of topsoil, which contains essential nutrients for plant growth.
• Sedimentation of water bodies, leading to water pollution and habitat
degradation.
• Increased risk of flooding and landslides.
4. Soil Conservation Methods:
• Contour Ploughing: Ploughing along the contour lines of the land helps to
decelerate the flow of water down slopes, reducing erosion.
• Terrace Farming Steps cut into slopes create terraces, which help to restrict
erosion by reducing the speed of water flow.
• Strip Cropping: Large fields are divided into strips, with strips of grass left to grow
between crops. This breaks up the force of wind and reduces erosion.
• Shelter Belts:Planting lines of trees, known as shelter belts, along the edges of
fields or on slopes helps to create windbreaks, reducing wind erosion.
• Terrace Cultivation: Particularly effective in mountainous regions, terrace
cultivation involves building flat areas on slopes to create agricultural land,
reducing the speed of water flow and erosion.
5. Importance of Soil Conservation:
• Maintains soil fertility and productivity for agriculture.
• Prevents land degradation and desertification.
• Protects water quality by reducing sedimentation and erosion.
• Helps mitigate the impacts of climate change by sequestering carbon in the soil.