RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT)

1. What is a Resource?

“Everything available in our environment that can be used to satisfy our needs,
provided it is technologically accessible, economically feasible, and culturally
acceptable.”

Important Points:

• Resources are not free gifts of nature. They become resources through
human interaction with nature using technology and institutions.

• Human beings themselves are a resource, and they transform materials

into usable resources.

2. Classification of Resources

A. On the Basis of Origin

Type Meaning Examples

Biotic Living resources Plants, animals, humans

Abiotic Non-living resources Water, rocks, air, minerals

B. On the Basis of Exhaustibility

Type Meaning Examples

Renewable Replenishable naturally Solar energy, forests, wind

Non-Renewable Cannot be replenished in short time Coal, petroleum, minerals

C. On the Basis of Ownership

Type Meaning Examples

Individual Owned by private people Farmland, houses

Community Shared by community Grazing land, ponds

National Belongs to a country Roads, railways, forests

Managed by international Oceans beyond EEZ, space

International
institutions resources

D. On the Basis of Status of Development

Type Meaning Examples

Potential Found but not used Wind, solar in Rajasthan

Developed Surveyed and ready for use Irrigated farmland

Stock Not usable due to lack of tech Water as H₂ + O₂

Reserves Usable part of stock Water behind dams, coal mines in use

3. Development of Resources

Problems due to Overuse:

1. Resource depletion – e.g., deforestation

2. Concentration of wealth – inequality (rich vs poor)
3. Global crises – global warming, ozone depletion, pollution

Solution: Sustainable Development

“Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their needs.”

4. Rio Earth Summit (1992) and Agenda 21

• Held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

• Over 100 countries participated.

• Adopted Agenda 21:
o Promote sustainable development
o Combat poverty, disease, environmental damage
o Encourage local governments to make their own Local Agenda 21

5. Resource Planning in India

Why is Resource Planning Needed?

India has:
• Unequal distribution of resources:
o Jharkhand → Minerals, but poor

o Arunachal Pradesh → Water-rich, but lacks infrastructure

o Rajasthan → Solar energy, but lacks water
o Ladakh → Cultural richness, but lacks basic resources
 Steps of Resource Planning:

1. Identification of resources → Survey, mapping, measuring (qualitative &

quantitative)
2. Develop planning structures with tech, skill & institutions
3. Match resource development plans with national development goals

India started resource planning from the First Five Year Plan (1951)

6. Conservation of Resources

• Gandhiji: “There is enough for everyone’s need, not for anyone’s greed.”
• Supported by:
o Club of Rome (1968)
o Schumacher – Small is Beautiful (1974)
o Brundtland Report (1987) → Our Common Future

7. Land Resources

• Land is a finite natural resource used for:

o Agriculture, forestry, mining, housing, roads, industries

• Land also supports natural vegetation, wildlife, human life, and activities.
Relief Types in India:

Landform % Area Use

Plains 43% Agriculture, industries

Mountains 30% Tourism, forests

Plateaus 27% Minerals, forests

8. Land Use in India

Categories of Land Use:

1. Forests
2. Not available for cultivation
o Barren land
o Built-up areas
3. Other uncultivated land
 o Pastures, groves, culturable wasteland
4. Fallow land
o Current (<1 year uncultivated)
o Other than current (1–5 years)
5. Net Sown Area (NSA) → Land sown with crops
6. Gross Cropped Area = NSA + crops grown more than once
Land Use Patterns Vary:
• Punjab & Haryana → NSA > 80%
• Arunachal Pradesh & Mizoram → NSA < 10%

9. Land Degradation

Causes:

Cause Affected States

Mining Jharkhand, Odisha, MP

Overgrazing Gujarat, Rajasthan

Over-irrigation → Salinity Punjab, Haryana, Western UP

Deforestation Across India

Industrial waste Cities, industrial areas

Effects:

• Loss of fertility
• Water pollution
• Food insecurity

Solutions:

• Afforestation
• Control grazing
• Strip cropping
• Sand dune stabilisation

• Proper waste & effluent disposal

Soil as a Resource
 • Soil = Renewable resource
• Formed by natural forces: weathering, organisms, time, climate
• Composition: Minerals + Organic matter (humus)

Types of Soils in India

Soil Location Features Crops

North plains, coastal Fertile, ideal for farming, Paddy, wheat,

Alluvial
deltas contains potash & lime sugarcane

Cotton soil, retains

Black Maharashtra, MP,
moisture, rich in lime & Cotton, soybean
(Regur) Chhattisgarh
potash

Red & Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Formed from igneous rock,

Pulses, millets
Yellow Deccan Plateau iron-rich

Acidic, leached, humus- Tea, coffee,

Laterite Karnataka, Kerala, WB
poor cashew

Bajra (after
Arid Rajasthan Sandy, saline, low humus
irrigation)

Loamy, silty in valleys,

Forest Himalayan hilly areas Tea, maize, rice
acidic on slopes

Soil Erosion and Conservation

Types of Soil Erosion:

1. Gully erosion – deep cuts, e.g., Chambal → Ravines

2. Sheet erosion – thin layers removed by water
3. Wind erosion – topsoil blown away

Causes:

• Deforestation
• Overgrazing
• Wrong ploughing methods
• Mining

Conservation Methods:
Method How it Helps

Contour ploughing Ploughing along slope lines slows water flow

Terrace farming Steps on hills prevent run-off

Strip cropping Grass strips stop wind erosion

Shelter belts Tree rows stop wind speed

Final Quick Revision Table:

Topic Key Point

Most fertile soil Alluvial

Soil for cotton Black soil

Causes of land degradation Mining, over-irrigation, deforestation

Best states for farming Punjab, Haryana

Soil in deserts Arid – sandy and dry

Conservation technique in
Terrace farming
hills

Rio Earth Summit year 1992

Identification → Planning → Matching with

Key planning step
development