Resources and Development: Geography

• Geography is the study of the Earth's landscapes, peoples, places and environments

Resources and Development

• Resources are materials which are technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally sustainable to satisfy human needs
• Resources can be classified in various ways
  • On the basis of origin: biotic and abiotic
  • On the basis of exhaustibility: renewable and non-renewable
  • On the basis of ownership: individual, community, national and international
  • On the basis of status of development: potential, developed, stock and reserves

Classification of Resources

• Biotic resources are obtained from the biosphere and have life
  • Examples: human beings, flora and fauna, fisheries, livestock
• Abiotic resources are composed of non-living things
  • Examples: rocks and metals
• Renewable resources can be renewed or reproduced by physical, chemical or mechanical processes
  • Examples: solar and wind energy, water, forests and wildlife
• Non-renewable resources occur over a very long geological time and cannot be easily replenished
  • Examples: minerals and fossil fuels
• Individual resources are owned privately by individuals
  • Examples: farmers owning land, houses, plantations, pasture lands, ponds, wells
• Community owned resources are accessible to all members of the community
  • Examples: grazing grounds, burial grounds, village ponds, public parks, picnic spots, playgrounds
• National resources are owned by the nation
  • Examples: roads, canals, railways, minerals, water resources, forests, wildlife
• International resources are regulated by international institutions
  • Examples: oceanic resources beyond 200 km of the Exclusive Economic Zone
• Potential resources are found in a region but have not been utilized
  • Example: solar and wind energy in Rajasthan and Gujarat
• Developed resources are surveyed and their quality and quantity have been determined for utilization
• Stock resources have the potential to satisfy human needs but humans do not have the appropriate technology to access them
  • Example: water is a compound of hydrogen and oxygen, which can be a rich source of energy, but we lack the technical 'know-how' to use them for this purpose
• Reserve resources are a subset of the stock, which can be put into use with existing technical 'know-how' but have not been started
  • Example: water in dams, forests

Development of Resources

• Resource depletion for satisfying the greed of a few individuals has led to ecological crises
  • Global warming
  • Ozone layer depletion
  • Environmental pollution
  • Land degradation
• Resource planning is essential for sustainable existence of all forms of life
• Sustainable 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

Resource Planning

• Identification and inventory of resources across the regions of the country
  • Surveying, mapping and qualitative and quantitative estimation and measurement of the resources
• Evolving a planning structure endowed with appropriate technology, skill and institutional set up for implementing resource development plans
• Matching the resource development plans with overall national development plans

Land Resources

• Land is a natural resource of utmost importance
• Supports natural vegetation, wildlife, human life, economic activities, transport and communication systems
• India has land under a variety of relief features
  • Mountains, plateaus, plains and islands
• Plains provide facilities for agriculture and industry
• Mountains ensure perennial flow of some rivers, provide facilities for tourism and ecological aspects
• Plateaus possess reserves of minerals, fossil fuels and forests

Land Utilisation

• Forests
• Land not available for cultivation
  • Barren and waste land
  • Land put to non-agricultural uses, e.g. buildings, roads, factories
• Other uncultivated land (excluding fallow land)
  • Permanent pastures and grazing land
  • Land under miscellaneous tree crops groves (not included in net sown area)
  • Culturable waste land
• Fallow lands
  • Current fallow
  • Other than current fallow (left uncultivated for the past 1 – 5 agricultural years)
• Net sown area
  • Area sown more than once in an agricultural year plus net sown area is known as gross cropped area
• Land use is determined by physical factors such as topography, climate, soil types as well as human factors such as population density, technological capability and culture and traditions

Land Degradation and Conservation Measures

• Land degradation is caused by
  • Overgrazing
  • Deforestation
  • Mining and quarrying
• Mineral processing generates dust which pollutes land
• Industrial effluents pollute land and water
• Measures to control land degradation
  • Afforestation and proper management of grazing
  • Planting of shelter belts of plants
  • Control on overgrazing
  • Stabilisation of sand dunes by growing thorny bushes
  • Proper management of waste lands
  • Control of mining activities
  • Proper discharge and disposal of industrial effluents and wastes after treatment

Soil as a Resource

• 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
• Factors responsible for soil formation
  • Relief, parent rock or bed rock, climate, vegetation and other forms of life and time
• Chemical and organic changes also play an important role in the formation of soil

Classification of Soils

• Alluvial Soils
  • Most widely spread and important soil
  • Deposited by three important Himalayan river systems– the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra
  • Found in the eastern coastal plains particularly in the deltas of the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri rivers
  • Contains sand, silt and clay
  • Generally rich in potash, phosphoric acid and lime
  • Ideal for the growth of sugarcane, paddy, wheat and other cereal and pulse crops
  • Classified as Bhangar and Khadar based on age
    • Bhangar soil contains higher concentration of kankar nodules
    • Khadar soil has more fine particles
• Black Soil
  • Black in colour and are also known as regur soils
  • Ideal for growing cotton and is also known as black cotton soil
  • Made up of extremely fine clayey material
  • Well-known for their capacity to hold moisture
  • Rich in soil nutrients, such as calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime
  • Develop deep cracks during hot weather, which helps in the proper aeration of the soil
  • Found in
    • Deccan trap (Basalt) region
    • Maharashtra
    • Saurashtra
    • Malwa
    • Madhya Pradesh
    • Chhattisgarh
    • Extends along the Godavari and the Krishna valleys
• Red and Yellow Soils
  • Develop on crystalline igneous rocks in areas of low rainfall in the eastern and southern parts of the Deccan plateau
  • Develop a reddish colour due to diffusion of iron in crystalline and metamorphic rocks
  • Looks yellow when it occurs in a hydrated form
  • Found in parts of
    • Odisha
    • Chhattisgarh
    • Southern parts of the middle Ganga plain
    • Along the piedmont zone of the Western Ghats
• Laterite Soil
  • Develops in areas with high temperature and heavy rainfall
  • Result of intense leaching due to heavy rain
  • Low in humus content because most of the micro organisms, particularly the decomposers, get destroyed due to high temperature
  • Suitable for cultivation with adequate doses of manures and fertilisers
  • Found in
    • Karnataka
    • Kerala
    • Tamil Nadu
    • Madhya Pradesh
    • Hilly areas of Odisha and Assam
• Arid Soils
  • Range from red to brown in colour
  • Sandy in texture and saline in nature
  • High salt content
  • Lacks humus and moisture
  • After proper irrigation these soils become cultivable
  • Found in Western Rajasthan
• Forest Soils
  • Found in the hilly and mountainous areas
  • Loamy and silty in valley sides and coarse grained in the upper slopes
  • Acidic with low humus content
  • Soil texture varies according to the mountain environment

Soil Erosion and Conservation

• Soil erosion is the denudation of the soil cover and subsequent washing down
• Caused by
  • Human activities: deforestation, over-grazing, construction and mining
  • Natural forces: wind, glaciers and water
• Gully erosion: the running water cuts through the clayey soils and makes deep channels as gullies
• Badlands: the land becomes unfit for cultivation
• Sheet erosion: water flows as a sheet over large areas down a slope and washes away the top soil
• Wind erosion: wind blows loose soil off flat or sloping land
• Soil conservation methods
  • Contour ploughing: ploughing along the contour lines
  • Terrace cultivation: steps can be cut out on the slopes making terraces
  • Strip cropping: large fields are divided into strips, strips of grass are left to grow between the crops
  • Shelter belts: planting lines of trees to create shelter

Resources are materials accessible, feasible, and sustainable for human needs. They are classified by origin (biotic/abiotic), exhaustibility (renewable/non-renewable), ownership (individual, community, etc.), and development status (potential, developed, etc.). Biotic resources come from the biosphere, while abiotic resources are non-living.