STUDY MATERIAL

Class 10 – Geography

Chapter 1: Resources and Development

Prepared By:
Muhammed sharoz
Class 10
NCERT-Based Notes | Key Concepts | Diagrams | Important Questions
Everything available in our environment which can be used
to satisfy our needs, provided, it is technologically
accessible, economically feasible and culturally acceptable
can be termed as ‘Resource’.

resources can be classified in the

following ways –
(a) On the basis of origin – biotic and abiotic
(b) On the basis of exhaustibility – renewable
and non-renewable
(c) On the basis of ownership – individual,
community, national and international
(d) On the basis of status of development –
potential, developed stock and reserves.
Sustainable 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.

• 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.
 Earth Summit, 1992 Agenda 21
Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, 1992 It is the declaration signed by world leaders
June 1992 rio de janeiro brazil, the first in 1992 at the United Nations Conference
International earth summit was held on Environment and Development (UNCED),
addressing urgent problem of environmental which took place at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It
protection and socio-economic development at aims at achieving global sustainable
global scale development. It is an agenda to combat
leaders signed the declaration on global environmental damage, poverty, disease
climatic change and biological diversity through global co-operation on common
endorsed the global Forest Principles and interests, mutual needs and shared
adopted Agenda 21 for achieving responsibilities. One major objective of the
Sustainable Development in the 21st century. Agenda 21 is that every local government
should draw its own local Agenda 21.
Resource planning
the process of strategically using available
resources to ensure their sustainable use and
conservation for future generations

Resource planning is a complex process

which involves :
(i) 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.
(ii) Evolving a planning structure endowed with
appropriate technology, skill and institutional
set up for implementing resource development
plans.
(iii) Matching the resource development plans
with overall national development plans
 There are some regions which can be
considered self sufficient in terms of the
availability of resources and there are some
regions which have acute shortage of some
vital resources. For example, the states of
Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh Development does not depend only on the
are rich in minerals and coal deposits. availability of resources. It also requires
Arunachal Pradesh has abundance of water good technology, strong institutions, and
resources but lacks in infrastructural skilled human resources. That’s why some
development. The state of Rajasthan is very regions remain backward despite being rich
well endowed with solar and wind energy but in resources, while others develop even with
lacks in water resources. The cold desert of fewer resources.
Ladakh is relatively isolated from the rest of
the country. It has 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.
• Resources are vital for all developmental activities.
• Irrational and overuse of resources causes socio-economic and environmental
problems.
• Resource conservation is necessary at local, national, and global levels.
• Gandhiji emphasized the importance of conservation, saying:
• “There is enough for everybody’s need and not for anybody’s greed.”
• He believed that:
• Greed and selfishness lead to resource depletion.
• Modern technology's exploitative use is a major cause of overuse.
• Mass production should be replaced by production by the masses.
At the international level, the Club of Rome
advocated resource conservation for the first time
in a more systematic way in 1968. Subsequently, in
1974, Gandhian philosophy was once again
presented by Schumacher in his book Small is
Beautiful. The seminal contribution with respect to
resource conservation at the global level was made
by the Brundtland Commission Report, 1987. This
report introduced the concept of ‘Sustainable
Development’ and advocated it as a means for
resource conservation, which was subsequently
published in a book entitled Our Common Future.
Another significant contribution was made at the
Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992.
India has land under a variety of relief
features, namely; mountains, plateaus, plains
and islands. About 43 per cent of the land area
is plain, which provides facilities for agriculture
and industry. Mountains account for 30 per
cent of the total surface area of the country and
ensure perennial flow of some rivers, provide
facilities for tourism and ecological aspects.
About 27 per cent of the area of the country is
the plateau region. It possesses rich reserves
of minerals, fossil fuels and forests.
Land resources are used for the following
purposes:
1. Forests
2. Land not available for cultivation
(a) Barren and waste land
(b) Land put to non-agricultural uses, e.g.
buildings, roads, factories, etc.
3. Other uncultivated land (excluding
fallow land)
(a) Permanent pastures and grazing land,
(b) Land under miscellaneous tree crops
groves (not included in net sown area),
(c) Culturable waste land (left uncultivated
for more than 5 agricultural years).
4. Fallow lands
(a) Current fallow-(left without cultivation
for one or less than one agricultural year),
(b) Other than current fallow-(left
uncultivated for the past 1 to 5
agricultural years).
5. Net sown area– the physical extent of land
on which crops are sown harvested is
known as net sown area.
Area sown more than once in an
agricultural year plus net sown area is
known as gross cropped area.
 LAND USE PATTERN IN INDIA
The use of land is determined both by physical
factors such as topography, climate, soil types
as well as human factors such as population
density, technological capability and culture
and traditions etc.
•India's total geographical area is 3.28 million sq km, but land use data is available for
only 93% of it due to incomplete reporting in some states and areas occupied by
Pakistan and China.
•Land under permanent pasture has decreased, leading to concerns about feeding
India's large cattle population.
•Non-current fallow lands are of poor quality or have high cultivation costs, leading to
very limited cultivation (once or twice every 2-3 years). Including these lands, the Net
Sown Area (NSA) in India is about 54% of the total reporting area.
•The Net Sown Area (NSA) varies greatly across states, ranging from over 80% in Punjab
and Haryana to less than 10% in states like Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, and
the Andaman Nicobar Islands.
•Forest area in India is much lower than the desired 33% of the geographical area, as
stated in the National Forest Policy (1952), affecting ecological balance and the
livelihoods of people living near forests.
•Waste land includes rocky, arid, and desert areas, while land for non-agricultural uses
includes settlements, roads, railways, and industry.
•Land degradation due to continuous use without proper conservation leads to serious
environmental and social consequences.
•Land is shared between past, present, and future generations, with 95% of basic needs
for food, shelter, and clothing obtained from land.
Human activities like deforestation, overgrazing, mining, and quarrying contribute
significantly to land degradation.

• Soil degradation
•Mining sites (e.g., in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha) leave
deep scars and cause severe degradation.
•Overgrazing (e.g., in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra) is a
major cause of degradation.
•Over-irrigation (e.g., in Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh) leads to
waterlogging, increasing salinity and alkalinity in the soil.
•Mineral processing (e.g., grinding limestone, calcite, soapstone) creates dust that
prevents water infiltration into the soil.
•Industrial effluents are a significant source of land and water pollution in many
areas.
•Solutions to land degradation include:
•Afforestation and grazing management.
•Planting shelter belts, controlling overgrazing, and stabilizing sand dunes in arid
areas.
•Proper management of waste lands, controlling mining activities, and treating
industrial effluents can reduce degradation in industrial areas.
Soil: A Vital Renewable Natural Resource
•Soil is the most important renewable natural resource, serving as the medium for
plant growth and supporting diverse life forms.
•It is a living system that requires millions of years to develop even a few centimeters
in depth.
•The process of soil formation is influenced by several key factors:
• Relief (landform features)
• Parent rock (bedrock)
• Climate
• Vegetation and other life forms
• Time
•Various natural forces contribute to soil formation:
• Temperature fluctuations
• Action of running water, wind, and glaciers
• Biological activity (decomposers and other organisms)
• Chemical and organic processes within the soil
•Soil is composed of both:
• Organic matter (humus)
• Inorganic materials
•Based on factors such as formation process, color, thickness, texture, age, and
chemical and physical properties, the soils of India are classified into various types.
Soil Erosion
Soil erosion refers to the denudation of soil cover and the subsequent washing away of
topsoil.
•Soil formation and erosion occur simultaneously, usually maintaining a balance.
•This balance is disrupted by:
• Human activities: deforestation, overgrazing, construction, mining.
• Natural forces: wind, water, glaciers.
Types of Soil Erosion:
1.Gully erosion:
• Running water cuts deep channels (gullies) in clayey soils, making the land
unfit for cultivation (bad land).
• Example: ravines in the Chambal basin.
2.Sheet erosion:
• Water flows as a sheet, washing away topsoil over large areas.
3.Wind erosion:
• Wind blows away loose soil from flat or sloping lands.
4.Erosion due to faulty farming methods:
• Ploughing up and down the slope forms channels for quick water flow, leading
to erosion.
Soil Conservation Methods
Effective soil conservation techniques aim to prevent soil erosion and maintain
soil fertility. The following methods are widely used:
Contour Ploughing
•Involves ploughing along the natural contours of the land.
•Reduces the speed of water runoff and minimizes soil erosion on slopes.
Terrace Farming
•Steps (terraces) are cut into steep slopes to create flat areas for cultivation.
•Helps reduce surface runoff and soil erosion.
•Commonly practiced in the Western and Central Himalayas.
Strip Cropping
•Cultivated fields are divided into alternating strips of crops and grasses.
•Grass strips act as barriers, reducing wind and water erosion.
Shelter Belts
•Rows of trees or shrubs are planted to protect farmland from wind erosion.
•These belts help stabilize sand dunes and desert areas, particularly effective in
western India.
Each of these measures contributes to sustainable land use and protects soil
resources for future generations.