Resources are anything that can be used to satisfy human needs. Humans use resources to fulfil their needs, but unplanned use has led to serious problems like resource depletion, environmental degradation, and unequal distribution.
Classification of Resources
Resources can be classified in several ways:
- 1. On the basis of origin:
- Biotic resources: Obtained from the biosphere (living things). Examples: plants, animals, fish.
- Abiotic resources: Non-living. Examples: rocks, minerals, soil, water.
- 2. On the basis of exhaustibility:
- Renewable resources: Can be renewed or reproduced. Examples: solar energy, wind, water, forests, wildlife.
- Non-renewable resources: Take millions of years to form and cannot be quickly replenished. Examples: coal, petroleum, natural gas.
- 3. On the basis of ownership:
- Individual resources: Owned privately by individuals. Example: a farmer's field.
- Community resources: Available to all members of a community. Example: village ponds, grazing grounds.
- National resources: Belong to the nation. Example: all minerals, rivers, forests within national territory.
- International resources: No single nation has authority over these. Example: open ocean resources beyond 200 nautical miles from the coast.
- 4. On the basis of the status of development:
- Potential resources: Found in a region but not yet used. Example: uranium deposits in Ladakh.
- Developed resources: Surveyed and their quality and quantity have been determined.
- Stock: Resources that exist but which humans lack the technology to use. Example: hydrogen in water.
- Reserve: A subset of stock that can be put to use with existing technology.
Resource Planning
- 1.Resource planning is essential for sustainable use of resources. It involves:
- 2.Identification and inventory of resources.
- 3.Evolving a planning structure with appropriate technology.
- 4.Matching resources with national development plans.
Resource planning in India: India has great diversity in resources — Jharkhand has minerals, Arunachal Pradesh has water, Rajasthan has solar and wind energy. But many regions are rich in resources yet remain economically underdeveloped (resource curse or resource colonialism).
Land Resources
Land is the most important natural resource. About 43% of India's land area is plain (most fertile and productive), 30% is mountains, and 27% is plateaus (rich in minerals and fossil fuels).
- Land use pattern in India:
- Forests
- Land not available for cultivation (barren land, land under buildings)
- Other uncultivated land (fallows)
- Net sown area
Land degradation: Human activities like deforestation, overgrazing, mining, and improper farming practices degrade land. Rajasthan and Gujarat face wind erosion and desertification. The states of Punjab, Haryana, and UP face water logging and soil salinity due to over-irrigation.
Soil as a Resource
- Soil is a living system. It takes millions of years to form. Different types of soil in India:
- Alluvial soil: Most fertile. Found in the Indo-Gangetic plain. Rich in potash and phosphoric acid. Ideal for wheat, rice, sugarcane.
- Black soil (Regur): Rich in moisture-retaining capacity. Found in the Deccan Plateau. Ideal for cotton.
- Red and Yellow soil: Found in eastern and southern India. Low in nitrogen, phosphorus, and humus. Iron oxide gives it the red colour.
- Laterite soil: Formed by intense leaching. Found in areas with high rainfall (Western Ghats, NE India). Not fertile naturally but good for tea and cashew after manure addition.
- Arid soil: Found in western Rajasthan. Sandy, low in humus.
- Forest soil: Found in hilly and mountainous regions.
Alluvial Soil and Agriculture
The Indo-Gangetic plain, covered in alluvial soil, is India's agricultural heartland. It produces over 40% of India's food grains. Cities like Delhi, Lucknow, and Patna are built on alluvial plains, showing how fertile soil supports dense human populations.
Black Soil and Cotton Cultivation
Maharashtra's Vidarbha region has deep black cotton soil that retains moisture and provides nutrients ideal for cotton. The cotton textile industry of Nagpur and Mumbai grew directly out of this agricultural base. However, over-reliance on cotton in Vidarbha has contributed to the farmer distress crisis.
Land Degradation in Punjab
The Green Revolution in Punjab brought prosperity but also problems. Excessive use of groundwater for irrigation has led to waterlogging and soil salinity in parts of Punjab and Haryana. This shows that even "developed" resources can be degraded by unsustainable practices.
Jharkhand: Resource Rich, Economically Poor
Jharkhand has large deposits of coal, iron ore, copper, and bauxite — it contributes a large share of India's mineral production. Yet its tribal population remains among India's poorest. This is an example of the "resource curse" — resources attract extraction but not equitable development.
Afforestation and Land Conservation
The chipko movement (1973) in Uttarakhand — where villagers, especially women, hugged trees to prevent commercial logging — is a famous example of community-based land resource conservation. The movement led to a ban on commercial felling in Himalayan forests.
Laterite Soil Adaptation
Though naturally poor in nutrients, laterite soil in Kerala and Karnataka can support tea and cashew plantations after the addition of manure and fertilizers. Farmers in the Western Ghats have successfully adapted farming to the soil type, demonstrating that soil management can overcome natural limitations.
Key Terms
- Sustainable development: Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
- Biotic: Relating to living things.
- Net sown area: The area on which crops are sown and harvested at least once in an agricultural year.
- Leaching: The process by which nutrients are washed away from soil by heavy rainfall.
Common mistakes
- Do not confuse stock and reserve. Stock = exists but no technology to use it. Reserve = can be used with current technology but hasn't been yet.
- Alluvial soil is found in plains (not plateaus). Black soil is on plateaus (Deccan).
Summary
Resources are everything humans use — classified by origin, exhaustibility, ownership, and development status. India has diverse resources but their unequal distribution requires careful planning. Land and soil are critical — alluvial, black, red, laterite, and arid soils each support different agricultural systems. Sustainable development requires balancing present needs with future conservation.