CBSE 10 Social Studies Resources and Development Notes

Resources and Development

➜ Resources and Development Questions and Answers

What are Resources?

Resources – Everything available in our environment which can be used to satisfy our needs, and provides technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally acceptable can be termed as a ‘Resource’.

Two types of Resources

  • Natural resources
  • Man-Made Resources  

Natural Recourses – Natural resources are materials from the Earth that are used to support life and meet people’s needs.

  •  Oil, coal, natural gas, metals, stone, and sand are natural resources.
  • Other natural resources are air, sunlight, soil and water. Animals, birds, fish and plants are natural resources as well.

Natural resources are used to make food, fuel and raw materials for the production of goods. All of the food that people eat comes from plants or animals.

Man-made Resources – If humans use natural things to create something better that makes our lives useful and meaningful, it’s considered human-made resources.

  • When humans use woods, metals, sand, cement, and solar energy to make houses, machinery, cars, bridges, roads, and so on are known to be human-made resources.

Classification of Resources

➜ Resources and Development Questions and Answers

On the Basis of Origin

  • Biotic Resources: These are obtained from the biosphere and have life such as human beings, flora and fauna, fisheries, livestock etc.
  • Abiotic Resources: All those things which are composed of non-living things are called abiotic resources. For example, rocks and metals.

On the Basis of Exhaustibility

  • Renewable Resources: A renewable resource is one that can be used repeatedly and does not run out because it is naturally replaced. A renewable resource, essentially, has an endless supply such as solar energy, wind energy, and geothermal pressure.
  • Non-Renewable Resources: A non-renewable resource is one that can be used once and is not replenished with the speed at which it is consumed. It is a finite resource. Fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, and coal are examples of non-renewable resources.           

On the Basis of Ownership

  • Individual Resources: These are owned privately by individuals. In villages, there are people with land ownership but there are many who are landless. Urban people own plots, houses and other property. Plantation, pasture lands, ponds, water in wells etc. are some of the examples of resource ownership by individuals. 
  • Community Owned Resources: There are resources which are accessible to all the members of the community. Village commons (grazing grounds, burial grounds, village ponds, etc.) public parks, picnic spots, and playgrounds in urban areas are de facto accessible to all the people living there.
  • National Resources: Natural Resources mean all the resources belong to the nation. The country has legal powers to acquire even private property for the public good. You might have seen roads, canals, and railways being constructed on fields owned by some individuals. Urban Development Authorities get empowered by the government to acquire land. All the minerals, water resources, forests, wildlife, land within the political boundaries and oceanic area up to 12 nautical miles (22.2 km) from the coast are termed as territorial water and resources therein belong to the nation.
  • International Resources: There are international institutions that regulate some resources. The oceanic resources beyond 200 nautical miles of the Exclusive Economic Zone belong to the open ocean and no individual country can utilize these without the concurrence of international institutions.

On the Basis of the Status of Development

  • Potential Resources: Resources which are found in a region, but have not been utilised.

For example, the western parts of India particularly Rajasthan and Gujarat have enormous potential for the development of wind and solar energy, but so far these have not been developed properly.

  • Developed Resources: Resources which are surveyed and their quality and quantity have been determined for utilisation. The development of resources depends on technology and the level of their feasibility.
  • Stock: Materials in the environment which have the potential to satisfy human needs but human beings do not have the appropriate technology to access, are included in stock.

For example, water is a compound of two gases; hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen can be used as a rich source of energy. But we do not have advanced technical ‘know-how’ to use it for this purpose. Hence, it can be considered as a stock.

  • Reserves: are the subset of the stock, which can be put into use with the help of existing technical ‘know-how’ but their use has not been started. These can be used for meeting future requirements. River water can be used for generating hydroelectric power but presently, it is being utilised only to a limited extent. Thus, the water in the dams, forests etc. is a reserve which can be used in the future.

➜ Resources and Development Questions and Answers

What is the Development of Resources?

The development of resources is vital for human survival as well as for maintaining the quality of life. It was believed that resources are free gifts of nature. As a result, human beings used them indiscriminately.

The following major problems of Resource Development.

  • Depletion 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.
  • Indiscriminate exploitation of resources has led to global ecological crises such as, global warming, ozone layer depletion, environmental pollution and land degradation.

Sustainable economic development

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 generations.’

Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, 1992

The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the ‘Earth Summit, was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 3-14 June 1992. The Summit brought together political leaders, diplomats, scientists, representatives of the media and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from 179 countries.

The primary objective of the Rio ‘Earth Summit’ was 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

Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the Statement of principles for the Sustainable Management of Forests

 How are natural resources important for man?

Importance of resources for man:

  • Resources are vital for human survival.
  • They are important for maintaining the quality of life as a man has been using the bio-physical environment to satisfy his needs.
  • Natural resources form the backbone of the economy of a nation.
  • These are the bases for the economic strength and prosperity of the people.
  • They provide material, energy and favourable conditions for development.

➜ Resources and Development Questions and Answers

Resource Planning

Planning is important in a country like India, which has enormous diversity in the availability of resources.

There are regions which are rich in certain types of resources but are deficient in some other resources.

There are some regions which can be considered self-sufficient in terms of the availability of resources and there are some regions which have an acute shortage of some resources.

For Example

  • The states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are rich in minerals and coal deposits.
  • Arunachal Pradesh has an abundance of water resources but lacks infrastructural development.
  • The state of Rajasthan is very well endowed with solar and wind energy but lacks water resources.
  • The cold desert of Ladakh is relatively isolated from the rest of the country. It has a 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

  • identification and inventory of resources across the regions of the country. This involves 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.

(India has made concerted efforts for achieving the goals of resource planning right from the First Five Year Plan launched after Independence.)

In India, development, resource development does not only involve the availability of resources, but also the technology, quality of human resources and the historical experiences of the people.

Land resources

We live on land; we perform our economic activities on land and we use it in different ways. Thus, land is a natural resource of utmost importance.

  • It supports
  • Natural vegetation
  • Wildlife
  • Human life
  • Economic activities
  • Transport
  • Communication systems
  • The land is an asset of a finite magnitude

Land utilization

Land resources are used for the following purposes:

  • Forests
  • Land not available for cultivation
    • Barren and wasteland
    • Land put to non-agricultural uses, e.g., buildings, roads, factories, etc.
  • Other uncultivated lands (excluding follow land)
    • Permanent pastures and grazing land
    • Land under miscellaneous tree crops groves (not included in the net sown area)
    • Culturable waste land (left uncultivated for more than 5 agricultural years).
  • Fallow lands
    • Current fallow- (left without cultivation for one or less than one agricultural year),
    • Other than the current fallow-(left uncultivated for the past 1 to 5 agricultural years).
  • Net sown area

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

Soil as a resource

What is soil?

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.

The soil is a living system.

Formation

It takes millions of years to form soil up to a few cm in depth.

Relief, parent rock or bedrock, climate, vegetation and other forms of life and time are important factors in the formation of soil.

Nature

Various forces of nature such as changes in temperature, actions of running water, wind and glaciers, activities of decomposers etc. contribute to the formation of soil. Chemical and organic changes which take place in the soil are equally important.

Soil also consists of organic (humus) and inorganic materials

➜ Resources and Development Questions and Answers

Classification of Soils India has varied relief features, landforms, climatic realms, and vegetation types.

  • Alluvial soils
  • Black soils
  • Red and Yellow soils
  • Laterite soils
  • Arid soils
  • Saline soils
  • Peaty soils
  • Forest soils.

Alluvial Soils

Location

  • These soils cover about 40 percent of the total area of the country.
  • Alluvial soils are widespread in the northern plains and the river valleys
  • Alluvial soil has been deposited by the Indus, the Ganges, and the Brahmaputra rivers. The entire northern plains (including parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar (Almost entirely), Chandigarh, Delhi (Almost entirely), Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal) are made of alluvial soil. These soils also extend in Rajasthan and Gujarat through a narrow corridor.
  • It is also found in the eastern coastal plains particularly in the deltas of Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna, and the Kaveri rivers.

Types

  • They are depositional soils, transported and deposited by rivers and streams.
  • These soils are loamier and more clayey in the lower and middle Ganga plain and the Brahmaputra valley.
  • On the basis of their age soil is classified into, two different types of alluvial soils have developed, viz. Khadar and Bhangar.
  • Khadar is the new alluvium and is deposited by floods annually, which enriches the soil by depositing fine silts.
  • Bhangar represents a system of older alluvium, deposited away from the flood plains.
  • Both the Khadar and Bhangar soils contain calcareous concretions (Kankars).

Nature

  • The alluvial soils vary in nature from sandy loam to clay.
  • Alluvial soil as a whole is very fertile.
  • Due to its high fertility, regions of alluvial soils are intensively cultivated and densely populated.
  • Mostly these soils contain an adequate proportion of potash, phosphoric acid, and lime.
  • The colour of the alluvial soils varies from the light grey to ash grey.
  • Soils in the drier areas are more alkaline and can be productive after proper treatment and irrigation.

Crops

  • Paddy, Rice, wheat, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, jute, maize, oilseeds, vegetables, fruits, and other cereal and pulse crops

➜ Resources and Development Questions and Answers

Black Soil

Introduction

  • These soils are also known as the ‘Regur Soil’ or the ‘Black Cotton Soil’. (Black soil is ideal for growing cotton and is also known as black cotton soil.)
  • (The word regur originates from the latin word regurgitare which means to overflow.)
  • The black soils are made up of fine clayey material. They hold moisture.
  • They develop deep cracks during hot weather, which helps in the proper aeration of the soil.
  • These soils are sticky when wet and difficult to work on unless tilled immediately after the first shower or during the pre-monsoon period.

Location

  • They cover the plateaus of Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Malwa, Madhya Pradesh, Chattishgarh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and some parts of Tamilnadu and extend in the south-east direction along the Godavari and the Krishna valleys.
  • In the upper reaches of the Godavari and the Krishna, and the north western part of the Deccan Plateau, the black soil is very deep.

Type

  • The black soils are generally clayey, deep and impermeable.
  • Deccan plateau and is made up of lava flows.
  • The black soils are made up of clayey soil, well-known for their capacity to hold moisture. Because of their high clay content, black soils develop wide cracks during the dry season

Nature

  • They are rich in soil nutrients, such as calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime.
  • But lack in phosphorous, nitrogen and organic matter.
  • They are poor in humus yet highly moisture-retentive, thus responding well to irrigation.
  • The colour of the soil ranges from deep black to grey.

Crops

  • Cotton, citrus fruits, wheat, jowar, millets, Linseed, castor, tobacco, sugarcane, safflower, and vegetable.

➜ Resources and Development Questions and Answers

Red and Yellow Soil

Location

  • Red soil develops on crystalline igneous rocks in areas of low rainfall in the eastern and southern part of the Deccan Plateau.
  • Yellow and red soils are also found in parts of Odisha and Chhattisgarh and in the southern parts of the middle Ganga plain.
  • Red soil develops on crystalline igneous rocks in areas of low rainfall in the eastern and southern parts of the Deccan plateau.

Nature

  • The soil develops a reddish colour due to a wide diffusion of iron in crystalline and metamorphic rocks.
  • It looks yellow when it occurs in a hydrated form.
  • The fine-grained red and yellow soils are normally fertile, whereas coarse-grained soils found in dry upland areas are poor in fertility.
  • They are generally poor in nitrogen, phosphorous and humus.

Crops

  • Cotton, wheat, rice, beans, millets, tobacco, oilseeds, potatoes, and fruits are some of the appropriate crops for red soils.

➜ Resources and Development Questions and Answers

Laterite Soil

Laterite has been derived from the Latin word ‘Later’ which means brick.

Location

  • Laterite soils are mainly found in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and the hilly areas of Odisha and Assam.
  • After adopting appropriate soil conservation techniques particularly in the hilly areas of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu region.
  • Red laterite soils are found in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala region.

Nature

  • Laterite soil is reddish to yellow in colour with a lower content of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, lime, and magnesia with 90–100% of iron, aluminium, titanium, and manganese oxides.
  • Soils rich in iron oxide and aluminium compound.
  • Humus content of the soil is removed fast by bacteria that thrives well in high temperature.
  • These soils are poor in organic matter, nitrogen, phosphate and calcium, while iron oxide and potash are in excess.
  • Hence, laterites are not suitable for cultivation; however, the application of manures and fertilizers are required for making the soils fertile for cultivation.
  • Laterite soils are widely cut as bricks for use in house construction.

Crops

  • this soil is very useful for growing tea and coffee, cashew nut, rubber, cinchona, coconut, arecanut, etc.

Arid Soils

Location

  • Arid soils are characteristically developed in western Rajasthan, which exhibit characteristic arid topography.

Nature

  • Arid soils range from red to brown in colour.
  • They are generally sandy in structure and saline in nature.
  • In some areas, the salt content is so high that common salt is obtained by evaporating the saline water.
  • Due to the dry climate, high temperature and accelerated evaporation, they lack moisture and humus.
  • Nitrogen is insufficient and the phosphate content is normal.
  • Lower horizons of the soil are occupied by ‘kankar’ layers because of the increasing calcium content downwards.
  • The ‘Kankar’ layer formation in the bottom horizons restricts the infiltration of water, and as such when irrigation is made available, the soil moisture is readily available for a sustainable plant growth.
  • These soils are poor and contain little humus and organic matter.

➜ Resources and Development Questions and Answers

Saline Soils

They are also known as Usara soils.

Location

  • Saline soils are more widespread in western Gujarat, deltas of the eastern coast and in Sunderban areas of West Bengal.
  • In the Rann of Kuchchh, the Southwest Monsoon brings salt particles and deposits there as a crust.
  • In Punjab and Haryana, farmers are advised to add gypsum to solve the problem of salinity in the soil.

Nature

  • Saline soils contain a larger proportion of sodium, potassium and magnesium, and thus, they are infertile, and do not support any vegetative growth.
  • They have more salts, largely because of dry climate and poor drainage.
  • They occur in arid and semi-arid regions, and in waterlogged and swampy areas.
  • Their structure ranges from sandy to loamy.
  • They lack in nitrogen and calcium.

Peaty Soils

Location

  • It occurs widely in the northern part of Bihar, southern part of Uttaranchal and the coastal areas of West Bengal, Orissa and Tamil Nadu.
  • They are found in the areas of heavy rainfall and high humidity, where there is a good growth of vegetation.

Nature

  • The large quantity of dead organic matter accumulates in these areas, and this gives a rich humus and organic content to the soil.
  • Organic matter in these soils may go even up to 40-50 per cent.
  • These soils are normally heavy and black in colour. At many places, they are alkaline also.

➜ Resources and Development Questions and Answers

Forest Soils

Location

  • As the name suggests, forest soils are formed in the forest areas where sufficient rainfall is available.
  • The soils vary in structure and texture depending on the mountain environment where they are formed.

Nature

  • They are loamy and silty on valley sides and coarse-grained on the upper slopes.
  • In the snow-bound areas of the Himalayas, they experience denudation, and are acidic with low humus content.
  • The soils found in the lower valleys are fertile.
  • It is evident from the foregoing discussions that soils, their texture, quality, and nature are vital for the germination and growth of plants and vegetation including crops.
  • Soils are living systems.

Soil Erosion

In agriculture, soil erosion refers to the wearing away of a field’s topsoil by the natural physical forces of water and wind or through forces associated with farming activities such as tillage.

Soil Conservation

Soil conservation is the prevention of loss of the top layer of the soil from erosion or prevention of reduced fertility caused by over usage, acidification, salinization, or other chemical soil contamination.

➜ Resources and Development Questions and Answers

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