Resources and Development

Define Resource

Anything around us that can be used to satisfy our needs provided that it is technologically accessible , economically feasible and culturally acceptable is termed as a resource.

Explain the relationship between humans and resources.

The human being interact with the physical environment around them to access the resource with the help of technology. They also create institutions for facilitating more efficient use of the resources. Human beings transform the material available to them in the surrounding and transform them into resources using technology , made more efficient by institutions.

How are resources classified?

1. On the basis of origin

   1. Biotic resource - these are obtained from the biosphere and are living

   2. Abiotic resource - the resources in nature that are composed of non living things. 

2. On the basis of exhaustibility

   1. Renewable - resources which can be easily reproduced by physical , chemical or mechanical processes is known as renewable resources. Ex - sunlight , air

   2. Non-Renewable - resources which take millions of years to form and are finite in nature. Ex - fossil fuels , metals

3. On the basis of ownership

   1. Individual - owned privately by individual. Ex - house

   2. Community - accessible to all members of a community. Ex - public parks and burial grounds

   3. National - owned by a country or it's government. Ex -  Forests

   4. International - not owned by any specific individual , community or nation and are regulated by the international bodies.

      1. National Territory - within 12 nautical miles from the land border of a country

      2. Exclusive Economic Zone - between 12 and 200 nautical miles. Only that country can extract resources

      3. Beyond 200 nautical miles - International waters (International Resource)

4. On the basis of Status of Development

   1. Potential - resources which are found but not utilised. (Ex - Solar energy)

   2. Developed Stock - The ones that are checked for their quantity and quality , their utilisation depends on technology and their level of feasibility. (Ex - Petroleum)

   3. Reserves - subset of stock that can be kept for future use. (Ex - water in dams)

Why do we need to develop resources? What are the problems with how we currently utilise resources?

The indiscriminate use of resources has led to the following major problems.

1. Resources are depleted for satisfying the greed of a few individuals

2. Accumulation of resources in few hands divides society into the rich and the poor.

3. Over utilisation of resources has led to global ecological crisis like global warming , ozone layer depletion , environmental pollution and land degradation

Thus , resource planning and equal distribution becomes essential for the sustainable existence of all forms of life and global peace.

Define sustainable development

Sustainable development means development should take place without damaging the environment and the development in the present should not compromise the needs of the future generations.

What occurred in the Rio de Janeiro earth summit?

1. A summit held in Rio de Janeiro Brazil in 1992 with over 100 heads of state attending. (UNCED - United Nations Conference of Environment and Development)

2. It aimed to tackle the urgent issues of environmental protection and socio-economic development.

3. Endorsed the Global Forest Principles and adopted the Agenda 21 for the sustainable development in the 21st century

What were the main points of the Agenda 21?

1. Agenda 21 was a declaration signed at Rio de Janeiro 1992 (United Nations Conference of Environment and Development)

2. It aimed to achieve global sustainable development and to resist environmental damage , combat poverty and disease through mutual needs and shared responsibilities..

3. It also aims that each of the local governments create their own version of the Agenda 21.

Why do we need resource planning in India?

In India resource planning becomes essential due to the uneven distribution of resources in our country. For a particular resource , some regions might be rich in them while others may be deficient. Some regions have a shortage of certain resources while the others have surplus of them. For example

1. States like Jharkhand , Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are rich in coal and mineral deposits.

2. Arunachal Pradesh has abundant water resources but lacks in infrastructure development.

3. Rajasthan is enriched with wind and solar energy but lacks water resources.

4. Ladakh lacks natural resource although it has a rich cultural heritage.

What is the process of resource planning in India?

Process of Resource Planning in India

1. Identification of resource and inventory - checking the quality , quantity , location and feasibility of a resource.

2. Planning for the proper use and distribution across the country with appropriate skill , technology and human resource.

3. Aligning the resource development plan with the national development plan.

India also has adopted the Five Year Plan immediately after independence to work on the conservation of resources.

Elucidate the Gandhian philosophy of resource conservation.

1. There are enough resources in the world to fulfil everybody's need but not anybody's needs

2. Believed that the greed of individuals and the exploitative nature of modern economies and technology is the root cause of depletion and degradation of the natural resources.

3. Encouraged production by the masses instead of mass production.

What are the international ideas regarding the conservation of resources?

1. The idea of conservation was first advocated in 1968 in the Club of Rome

2. in 1974 , Schuhmacher published his book "Small is Beautiful" in which he accepted the Gandhian Philosophy of conservation

3. in 1987 , the Brundtland Commission Report highlighted the urgent need for a global effort in conservation of resources and introduced the concept of sustainable development. This report was later published into a book named "Our Common Future"

Why is land useful? Explain the distribution of Land in India?

1. Land is a very important natural resource. It supports natural vegetation , agriculture , wildlife , transport , housing and other economic activities.

2. Its limitation is that it is a finite resource.

3. India's geographical area comprises of a large variety of landforms

   1. 43% - Plain land area - supports industrial and agricultural activities

   2. 27% -  Plateau Region - source of mineral and fossil fuels

   3. 30% - Mountains - perennial river water , tourism

Explain the utilisation of land in India.

1. Forests

2. Land not available for cultivation

   1. Barren waste land

   2. Land used for non-agriculture uses like buildings , roads and factories

3. Other uncultivated land

   1. Permanent pastures and grazing land

   2. Land under miscellaneous trees and groves

   3. Culturable waste land - left uncultivated for 5 agricultural years.

4. Fallow land

   1. Current fallow - land uncultivated for one or less than one agricultural year.

   2. Other than current fallow - land left uncultivated for 1 to 5 agricultural years

5. Net Sown Area and Gross Cropped Area

   1. Net Sown Area - the physical extent of land on which crops are harvested.

   2. Gross cropped area - The area sown more than once in an agricultural year.

What are the factors that determine the land use.

1. Physical Factors - climate , topology , soil type

2. Human factors - population density , culture , traditions , technology capability.

Explain the land use pattern in India.

1. The area under forest is far less than the 33 percentage needed for maintains of the ecological balance

2. The land under permanent pasture has decreased.

3. Most of the other than current fallow land are of poor quality and are only cropped once in about two to three years.

4. The net sown area varies widely between different states , with Punjab and haryana having the highest proportions.

What are the causes of land degradation?

1. Deforestation

2. Overgrazing

3. Mining and Quarrying

4. Over Irrigation

5. Mineral processing

6. Industrial Effluents

What are the measures that can be taken to conserve land?

1. Afforestation and proper management of grazing

2. Discharge and disposal of industrial wastes after treatment

3. Control over mining activities

4. Planting shelter belts

5. Controlling overgrazing

6. Stabilisation of sand dunes by growing thorny bushes

7. Contour ploughing

8. Proper management of waste land

What are the characteristics of alluvial soils.

1. It is formed by deposits of Indus , Ganga and Brahmaputra

2. It is made up of sand , silt , clay and contains potash , phosphoric acid and lime.

3. It is categorised into Bangar (old alluvial) and Khadar (new alluvial)

4. Bangar soil has more kankar nodules while khadar is more fertile.

5. It is suitable for growing paddy , wheat , sugarcane

6. It is mostly found in the Norther plains , parts of gujarat , Rajasthan and the easter coasal plains.

What are the characteristics of black soils

1. It is found in the Deccon trap region and is made up of lava flows

2. It is made up of extremely fine clayey material and is suitable for growing cotton

3. It develops dry crack during the hot summer which helps in aeration

4. It becomes sticky due to high moisture retention and becomes more difficult to be tilled

5. It is found in the deccan platue regions in Maharasthra , Madhya Pradesh , Chattisgarh

What are the properties of Red and Yellow SOil

1. It is developed in low rainfall regions of the deccan platue

2. It is reed in colour due to diffusion of iron particles and turns yellow in the hydrated form.

3. It is found in Odisha and Chattisgarh

What are the properties of Laterite Soil?

1. It is found in tropical and sub tropical regions

2. It is formed in regions of heavy rainfall resulting in leaching , which the washing away of plant nutrients due to excessive rainfall.

3. It is more acidic and deficient in plant nutrients

4. Tea and coffee are grown on this soil

5. It is found in Kerala , Tamil Nadu , Andhra Pradesh

What are the properties of Arid soil

1. It is sandy in texture and saline in nature

2. It lacks humus and moisture due to dry climate , high temperature and faster rate of evaporation.

3. Kankar are found in the lower horizons

4. It is useful for cultivation only with suitable irrigation methods.

What are the properties of forest soil

1. It is loamy and slty in texture

2. It is acidic with low humus content due to denudation

3. It is fertile in lower valleys and found in hilly and mountainous regions

What is soil erosion? What are the different types of soil erosion?

Soil erosion is removing of the soil cover and later washing down of the top soil

1. Gully Erosion - when water creates deep channels in clayey soils and makes the land unfit for cultivation.

2. Sheet Erosion - When water flows as a sheet over large areas and washes away the topsoil

3. Wind Erosion - When wind blows the loose soil away

4. Defective Farming Methods - ploughing in the wrong way can lead to channel formation and gully erosion.

What are the methods of conserving soils?

1. Contour Ploughing - It involved ploughing along the contour lines to stop water flow.

2. Terrace Cultivation - steps are cut on slopes to make terraces which help restrict the soil erosion

3. Strip Cropping - large fields are divided into strips and strips of grass are grown in between to break the force of the wind.

4. Shelter belts - a line of trees are planted to created a shelter along the edge of the fields