Class 10 Resources and Development Summary

Resources and Development

Resources : Natural and Human Resources

Everything available in our environment which can be used to satisfy our needs, provided it is technologically accessible, economically feasible (affordable) and culturally acceptable known as ‘Resources’.

Resources can be classified

a) On the basis of origin:

i) Biotic

ii) Abiotic

b) On the basis of exhaustibility:

i) Renewable

ii) Non-renewable

c) On the basis of ownership:

i) Individual

ii) Community

iii) National

iv) International

d) On the basis of status of development:

i) Potential

ii) Developed

iii) Stock

iv) Reserves

What is Biotic Resources ?

Resources obtained from biosphere and have life such as human beings, flora and fauna, fisheries, livestock etc.

What is Abiotic Resources ?

Resource that comprise of non-living things such as rocks, mineral etc.

What is Renewable Resources ?

The resources which can be used again and again and can be reproduced by physical, chemical and mechanical processes are known as renewable or replenish able resources.

What is Non-Renewable Resources ?

These are the resources that once used, can’t be reproduced or replenished. For Example: Fossil fuels, minerals like copper and iron ore.

What is Natural Resources?

Natural gifts in the form of land, water, vegetation and minerals are called natural resources.

What are Individual resources?

The resources owned by privately by individuals.

What are community resources?

Resources which are accessible to all the members of the community.

What is National resource ?

All the resources which are present in the political boundary of a nation up to 12 nautical miles (22.22 km) in the ocean from the coast.

What is International resource ?

The resources that do not belong to any individual country.

What is Potential resources ?

Resources which are available in a region, but have not been utilized.

What is Developed resource ?

Resources which are surveyed and their quantity and quality have been determined for utilization.

What is Stock ?

Materials present in the environment which has the potential to satisfy human needs, but human being does not have the appropriate technology to access these materials.

What is Reserves ?

They are the subset of the stock which can be put into use with the help of existing technology but their use has not been started yet.

Sustainable development

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

Resource planning

It is the widely accepted strategy for sensible use of resources.

Resource conservation

Conservation of resources means the judicial and planned use of resources. Thus, we get benefitted from them for long time.

Gross cropped area

Area sown more than once in an agricultural year plus net sown area is known as gross cropped area.

Fallow land

A land which is left without cultivation for one or less than one agricultural year for increasing its fertility is known as the fallow land.

Waste land

Land which is not suitable for cultivation is known as waste land.

Net sown area

Area sown once in a year is known as the net sown area.

Soil erosion

The removal of top fertile soil cover due to various reasons such as wind, water is called soil erosion.

Gullies

The running water cuts through the clayey soil and makes deep channels known as gullies.

Sheet erosion

When the top soil is washed away due to heavy flow of water down the slopes, it is known as sheet erosion.

Strip cropping

Large fields can be 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.

Contour ploughing

Ploughing along the contour lines can slow down the flow of water down the slopes. This is called contour ploughing.

Shelter belts

Planting lines of trees to creates shelter breaks up the force of the force of the wind. Rows of such trees are called shelter belts.

Resources are compulsory for human survival as well as for maintaining the quality of life.

Human being use resources indiscriminately and this has led to global ecological crises such as global warming, ozone layer depletion, environmental pollution and land degradation.

Development of Resources:

Resources are important for human survival. It was believed that resources are free gifts of nature. As a result, man used then indiscriminately which led to the following problems:

i) Depletion of resources

ii) Accumulation of resources in a few hands.

iii) Indiscriminate exploitation of resources.

For a sustained quality of life and global peace, it is essential that resources should be distributed equally.

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 generation.

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), which took place at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It aims at 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. One major objective of the Agenda 21 is that every local government should draw its own local Agenda 21.

Resource planning in India

Resource planning involves the following steps:

i) Identification and inventory of resources, which involves surveying, mapping and quantitative as well as qualitative estimation and measurement of resources.

ii) For implementing resource development plants, evolve a planning structure with appropriate technology, skill and institutional set up.

iii) Match resource development plan with overall national development plans.

India has 43% plain land, 30% mountain region and 27% plateau region.

Land resources are used for the following purpose:

i) Forests

ii) Land not available for cultivation

iii) Other uncultivated land

iv) Fallow land

v) Net sown area

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, 56% is water eroded and the rest is affected by saline and alkaline deposits.

Factors causing land degradation

i) Deforestation

ii) Overgrazing

iii) Mining and Quarrying

iv) Over irrigation making land saline and alkaline

v) Dust generated from cement ceramic industry

vi) Industrial effluents

Suggestions for Conservation of land

i) Afforestation

ii) Proper management of grazing

iii) Shelter belts of plants

iv) Stabilization of sand dunes by planting thorny bushes

v) Proper management of wasteland

vi) Control on mining

vii) Discharge of industrial effluents and wastes after treatment.

Soil 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 bed rock, climate, vegetation and other forms of life and time are important factors in the formation of soil.

Soil also consists of organic (humus) and inorganic materials.

On the basis of the factors responsible for soil formation, colour, thickness, texture, age, chemical and physical properties, the soil of India can be classified into different types.

India has varied relief features, landforms, climatic realms and vegetation types. These features contributed in the development of various types of soil.

i) Alluvial Soil

a) Widely spread in north Indian plains, alluvial soils as whole are very fertile.

b) Classified as Khadar (New Alluvial) and Bangar (Old Alluvial).

c) Adequate proportion of potash, phosphoric acid and lime.

d) Ideal for sugarcane, paddy, wheat and other cereal and pulse crops.

ii) Black Soil

a) Also called Regur soil. These soils are black in colour.

b) Ideal for cotton.

c) They cover Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Malwa, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

d) Rich in nutrients, such as calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime, but poor in phosphorus content. The black soils are made up of extremely fine i.e clayey material. They are well known for their capacity to hold moisture.

iii) Red and Yellow Soil

a) Developed in areas of low rainfall or crystalline (composed of crystals) ingenious rocks.

b) Found in Odisha, Chhattisgarh and the piedmont zone of the Western Ghats.

c) Due to diffusion of iron in crystalline and metamorphic rocks, its colour becomes reddish.

iv) Laterite (Red hard like soil) Soil

a) Develops in areas of high temperature and rainfall

b) Humus content is low

c) Mainly found in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Hilly areas of Assam and Odisha

d) Good for Tea, Coffee, Cashew nuts, etc.

v) Arid Soil

a) Sandy in texture and saline in nature

b) Lacks in humus and moisture

c) Found in western Rajasthan

vi) Forest Soil

a) Found in hilly and mountainous regions

b) Loamy (mixture of sand, silt and clay) and silty in valley sides, while coarse grained in the upper slopes.

Soil Erosion

i) The denudation (removing) of top soil cover by agents of nature, e.g. wind, water and air is called soil erosion.

ii) Human activities that are responsible for soil erosion are deforestation, over grazing, construction and mining etc.

Measures for Soil Conservation

i) Contour ploughing

ii) Terrace farming

iii) Strip cropping

iv) Shelter belts of trees

v) Plugging of gullies