CHAPTER

2
Land and Soil

LEARNING
OUTCOMES justifiesjudicious use of natural resources such as water, soil, forest, etc, to maintain developmentsin all areas

Land resources and land use

FLAG OF Methods Used to conserve land resources
Factors that control soil formation
" Methods undertaken for soil
onservation
GEARUP Why do we consider land and soil as resources? How are they uscful for plants and other
Howcan we conserve them? rving org

Land Resources Land Use

Land covers about 29 per cent of the Land is used for different
the Earth's surface and of this total area of purposes such
small percentage, a cultivation of crops, torestry, grazing lives
large part is not habitable, because it is ice or construction of buildings, houses and
snow
covered, rugged or steep, climatically unsuitable, for mining and manufacturing. Parts of land
waterlogged, forested or a desert. The quality and which cities and towns have come up, arer
distribution of land (its location) has a major role urban areas. Areas being used for
in deciding its usage. as pastures are called rural areas.
The
- agriculture
uses that land is put to is commonly dif ert.
referred
Jand use. The pattern of land use varies from
region to another. It may also vary within a re
Mountain Plateau Over time.
30% 27%
Factors Affecting Land Use
Land use pattern is determined by physic:
Plain human, cultural and economic factors.
43%
Physical factors such as topography, soil, climat:
water, distribution of rocks and minerals, etc, ar:
India--Land under different relief features important determinants of land use. For exampl:
flat land with abundant water and rainfall is
o En Route most suited for growing crops in areas such as
What has led to the large-scale destruction of northern India, West Bengal and the Decan
forest cover? Plateau. Human and economic factors such as
development, education, medical facilities and
128
 policies play a vital role in changing population, especially in Asia and Africa,
the
;1ciil of land use. Urban areas provide rapidly. More
pressure on land is also increasing
pportunities, economic converted into
education,
growth, scope forests and grasslands are getting basis of
er
recreational facilities and urban lands. Land can be divided on the land is
ale
mOre developed. Study the table on private land and community land. Private land is
dl'sePattern, 2005*, in the exercises section, owned by individuals, whereas3community the
nderstandthe pattern of utilisation of land in owned by the community. Community land is
parts oftheworld. ldentify the countries common property of all.
ercntt
the
Bng
} highest percentagee of land under crops,
stsand pastures. Land Distribution in India
observed that fertile river valleys and Ofthe total land area of India (3.28 million sq km).
be
Populated areas of the world
re themost and 30per cent is mountainous, 27 per cent is covered
in tropical sub-tropical regions of by plateaus and 43 per cent is plains. The plains
oridibecause they are : suitable for.agriculture. are best suited for agriculture. The mountains and
the cent the world's population is
of and minerals.
sixttSix per plateaus are rich in forest resources
of the
Orer
centratedin the sub-tropical and mid-latitude Although our country has 2.42 per cent cent
anes. Nearly 50
per cent ofthe world's population world's total land area, it supports 16 per
in urban areas
and this figure is expected to of the world's population. India is geographically
es
very diverse due towhich the land use pattern of1s
also varied. India has a very high percentage
eurban areas needImore land for settlements, balanced
These
industries andother purposes, which arable (cultivable) land. However, for a
settingup of pressure on land. As a result, more ecological development,it is important that our
increasethe land under forests be increased fromthe existing
getting converted
ndmore agricultural land is increase inworld 24.42per cent to 33 per cent.With only
3 per cent
urban colonies. With the

ARCTIC ocEAN

Topic of Cance 23-N

ATLANTIC
OCEAN
INDIAN OCEAN

of Capicom
23-S
PACIFIC
Tpc of Cepricom
OCEAN

Forest areas. Few areas of Animal farming on ranches

O hunting, fishing and Rearing of animals and
agriculture in the tropic
crop farming
Desert and wastelands Fishing
Map not tr
World--Land use
 ConservationofLand |Resources
cattle conserve our land
of area under pastures, India hasthe largest to
We need
generations.Land use must

SuitableresoupTnlraene,eth
population in the world.
providebest results. be
to
Land Degradation beadoptedto:
dumped
(Solid and liquid waste is constantly being usable check soilerosion.
on the land. 23 per cent of the world's check desertification.
has
land (excluding and deserts) control waterlogging.
mountains
been degraded and its productivity has been ensure afforestation.
reduced. The main causes of this degradation reclaim land.
are deforestation, Overgrazing, agricutural
industries e check on overgrazing.
mismanagement,
and establishment
urbanisation(Large
of
parts of India, Pakistan, regulate the use of chemical
Egypt and USA
scarcity. Over
suffer from waterlogging and
2 million
hectares of land
soil
in the
fertilisers.
reclaim wastelands So that pesti
world is degraded due to improper w
and landfills.)
waste disposal back to other uses.
increase productvty of
hey are
the
En Route improved farming methods.
India s forest cover is more than the
desired
percentage of total land area of the country.
balanced use of
organic farming,
manures such
regulated
Cropping, etirci.gatio
a. true
b false rotation, multiple

Pastoral lands
Soil Resources
Buildings do not allow rainwater to seep into the
One-third of the Earth's land area (50 soil below.sq Soil forms the thin
km) hasbeen million crust. It is upper layer of the
made up of disintegrated ro
in Asia, Africa,affected by
desertification, decayed remains
Latin America, North especially of plantS and animals
in the form of humus. It also
America and
Mediterranean
In 1994, some
region. small insects and consists of moist
180 organisms ike bacter
Convention to combatcountries signed the UN 1S a very
important resource, because all
Earth
It is
in desertification,
Summit 1992. It came into force in after the including
grow.
crops, vegetables and trees nee
important that such 1996. its The importance of soil lies in its fert
seriously to
prevent soil programmes talken capacity to produce crops. All landc
are
restoring degraded land. degradationana ror depend onit soil directly or indirectly for the
Though is a
30 of its
format
of years ion renewable resource
is very slow. It takes
for one ce centimetreof soil to f
 ConservationofLandi Resources
of area under pastures, India has the largcst cattle conserve our land
populationin the world. We necdto

Land Degradation
Solid and liquid waste is constantly beingdunped
on the land. 23 per cent of the world's usable
gencrations. Land use must
to provide
best results.
be adopted to:
check soilerosion.
resourcest
be
Suitable pTlmaenth er
land (excluding mountains and deserts) has check desertification.
been degraded and its productivity has been control| waaterlogging.
ensure afforestation.
reduced,
are
The main causes of this degradation
deforestation, reclaim land.
Overgrazing. agricultural
check on overgrazing.
mismanagement,DLarge Parts of
of
and urbanisation) establishment India, Pakistan,
Egypt and USA suffer from waterlogging andsoil
industries
regulate the use
fertilisers.
of
chemical pesti
scarcity. Over 2 million hectares of land in the reclaim wastelands So
world is degraded due to improper waste disposal back to other uses.
that they
and landfills.) increase productivity of
En Route improved farming methods.the lar
Ces orest cover is more than the desired balanced use of manures such
Dercentage of total land area of the country. organic farming, regulated and fer
a. true
b false rotation, multiple cropping, etc ir igati,

Pastoral lands

Soil Resources
Buildings do not allowrainwater to seep into the soil below. Soil forms the thin upper layer of the
crust. It is made up of disintegrated rod
One-thirdof the Earth's land area (50 million sq
decayed remains of plants and animals i
km) has been affected by desertification,especially form of humus. It also consists of moistur:
in Asia, Africa, Latin America, North America and
small insects and organisms like bacteri.
inthe Mediterranean region.
is a very important resource, because all
In 1994, some 180 countries signed the UN including crops, vegetables and trees need s
Convention to combat desertification, after the grow. The importance of soil lies in its fertili
Earth Summit in 1992. It came into force in 1996.
its capacity to produce crops. All land cret
It is important that such programmes are taken depend on soil directly or indirectly for thert
seriously to prevent soil degradation and for Though it is a renewable resource, thethousp
restoring degraded land. of its formation is very slow. It takes formi:
of years for one centimetre of soilto
130
 and hhemial weathering,.
of
deay of plant nuh owyan matter and is, therefore, not
'ultimate produ o as the topsonl
fertile
Atfecting 5oilFormation Belowthe subsol, lies the weathered parent rock
Unweathered
(onsistingof
solid ro lieslarg
roks and ravel
hel the weathered rk
Ontrolled by the
fllowng lypes of soll
the paret rok The best oils are found in river valleys where
determines from whrh the
rived
the annual floods renew it with silt. The valleys of
alrnsition of the soil physical and ivers tlile in Egypt,Chang Jang, in China, GanyA
pography affects the in India and Mississippi in USA have rich alluvial
rha oils are yery thinly
.lupes and
drainover
spread ays soils. In ternperate yrasslands, sols are dark
and rich in humus These fertile sols are called
the lowlands. acumulatein deep
hernozens in thePrairies of the USA and Canada
e r a ture and precipitation are soils of serniarid areas, rich in minerals and
factors. Frequent changes als,in himus, are called pedocals. Desert ynls have
can leadito quicker soil sufficient minerals, but lack water. Soils in hunid
fornation.
ortant in determinirng the depth of climates are acidic, but have less humus, especially
age, under old conditions as in coniferous forests.
e s a1d its
present in the soil help to
add They are called pedalfers.
thereby increasing the
r 1een tin apacity of the

stonofSoil
rganic and inorganic
Organic elernents
e e derayed rernains of
and animals, that
Te inorganic elernents
ie w1rals and salts such as
Assium, nagnesiurn,
sphrus, calciurn and
Te per layers of the rock
ay ak up into sizeable BAY

B . in turn, give space ARABIAN

OF

ieces. This process SEA BENGAL

give a fairly thick

fine yained topsoil. This Murtar Sol
Alhyva Sol
2e ís nore fertíle as it
scale
minerals, salts (vIOND Bak Sol
30. isure. It is rnade up ot to
Laterne Sol
not
Desen Sol
Map
V. ilies below the topsol
weathered nor NDIAN OCEAN
I: does not contain Soils cf India
 downint formed:
generally in layers.
Soilsare
o En Route
Fertiee a c d
chernotenn hich ofht
layers-topsoil,, subsoil,
main rock.
parent Sol
weather dsh
b China Fertility
sandand
DepletionofSoil unproductive
gravel, mixture become by
Soils imay vary in grain size frombaalanced growth
silt to fine clay. Loam is a more forthe
humus. It is ideal
Soilcan
and
mismanagementin
agriculturalerosiTomre,lh
of sand, clay and India
of plants. foundin Characteristics
Soils
Occurrence Clay,siltand
sand, Crops gro
Rice, wheat.,Sugita
Types of soil
1. Alluvial: Old Northern Plainsanddeltas
in veryfertile
cotton,oilseeds
pulses
alluvium-Bhangar; South India
retentive, Cotton,
New alluvium
Khaadar
North-Westpartof
Peninsular
Moisture
sticky when
crackswhen dry.
wet and tobacco,,oil sugarseed.cane
2. Black or Regur Godavari,
India, valleysof andTapti, Thisaerates
thesoil
Krishna, Narmada
Maharashtra, Gujarat,Andhra
Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,
Chhattisgarhand Tamil
Nadu Coarse, porous, Wheat, rice, cotton
Plateau, Tamil does not retain sugarcane,grown i:
Eastern DeccanKarnataka, Chota moisture,
3. Red
Kerala,
Nadu, Chhattisgarhand
irrigation and fert
Nagpur, high iron content
Odisha Acidicand porous, Coffee, rubber, cas
The hills of Eastern
and needs to be tapioca
4. Laterite Assanm, in
Western Ghats and enriched with
and
areas of high temperature fertilisers
heavy rainfall Loose, porous, Maize, wheat and m
North-West Indiain Rajasthan, grown with irrigatioe
5. Desert coarse, alkaline
Gujarat andSouth Punjab
North dry farming
Very thin layer of Tea,coffee and med
and
6. Mountain Hilly areas of Jammu dark soil plants
Kashmir, Sikkim, Assam and
Arunachal Pradesh

Good to Know Humus

proper
When irrigation is not accompanied by Topsed
salt to
drainage, waterlogging occurs. This brings
at the roots
the surface of the soil, where it collects
evaporation of
of plants oras a thin crust. Rapid
groundwateralso adds salt to the soil. Thirty six Weathered
rock
has been
percent of the total irrigated area in India fragments
damaged by salinisation.
Bedrodk

Layers ofSoil
Soil profile
Asoilprofile is asection showing successive layers
2
 thet p layers f the
zWater, wind or l a
human
atitiet
frurns gllies arnd
il erositn deends
mpments or strurture,
ravines
onditins, fthe
land arnd

and
Ayiding, the wastetul practire f slash of
urn cultivatin in the Nnth east states
India helps cnerve vil.
Cntrd t detorestatim, promtin2 te
planting f trees and phugging f zilies 15
the
anther way. In areas of dayey wils, in
abnence f vegetation, a lot f soil is washed
amay try zully erosion and sheet erosin.
In arid rezions, strong winds blomaway a lot
.r relerated ry human artivitíes
uSe of chernicalI f the fertiie part of the topsoil Shelter belts
fertilisers, which
nposition f soil. Erosinby vind are rows of trees planted to check wind speed
ralso,affect soil fertílity. Stál is
and reduce erosion of the soíl by winds.
mariy places bry deforestatín, Changing agricultural practices and practícing
strip croppinz, nítrogen fixing by crop
furtilisatíon ar1d veruse of rotation, rultiple cropping andintercropping
så is darnaged by salínisatin and
are other ways of maintaining our precious
E i t its, overwatered. soil and land resources. Abalance needs to be
rnaintained between traditional and modern
agricultural techniques for best results in
. . - i is an effort rnade by humans conserving land resources.
S1 erosion and thereby retain the En Route 4
Eá. Soál conservation ís possíble 2eatthe1aterre
"aazed properly using appropriate Terrate iar zreffective witout cortour
i t techniquEs and adrpting the
rASUres: 2 Ntoger irg drectiy helps n preventing so
E terrace farming and Smtour
gs done in the mountainus areas.
'arning is the practite of cutting D Only 2 is correct
4te híll slopes to provide flat land C Botr 1 and 2 are correct sAFAL
7atin and for checking soil erosion.
7 pmgháng ís ploughing of the land
Snour in a parallel way instead
ddoan the slope. This checks soil
 CHECKPOINT)
IAnOw hat land is a major natural resource and caters to
patten is determined by physical, human, cultural mnost of our needs.
Iunderstand that soil formation depends on the
and economic
factors.
type of parent rock,
fomng humus, topography and time span over which the soil is climate
Land use
causesgreat loss to soil quality.
I knowthat the
removal of the top layers of the soil on a large
or human activities is
called soilerosion. It depends on soil
formed.
scale by
Soil
o
errogsiaosrs
rainwater,
climatic conditions, slope of the land and structure, texture , wind
lam aware that soil can cultivation methods.
be conserved by
cropping, intercropping,contour ploughingafforestation, terracing, strip
and building of check dans. cropping, rnultiple
Glossary
desertification the process by which fertile land turns into a desert,
gully erosion
drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture
eroded channels formed in the absence of
typically
erosion such as, rain, wind and running water vegetation by the
sheet erosion
athin layer of topsoil is removed extensively by the

strip cropping
running water action of the ir
SOwing inthe space between the rows of one crop with
of leaving it uncultivated; is an effective means of another
multiple cropping the practice of growingtwo or more crops in the same cting thecrosolpirs
prote
asingle growing season pieçe of larnd du
SkillsAhead
Map Skills: Mark, colour and label the distribution of Black, Red and
Laterite
map of India. soils on apo'
& Communication: Town planning helps in better use of land. Research about sorma
planned places in India, such as Chandigarh, GlIFT City (Gandhinagar), HITEC City (Hvdar
etc. Make a note of the defining elements of these cities
and have a discussion on the so.
the class.
Creative Thinking: Slogans can be a compelling and effective way of spreading
Write some slogan highlighting the need for soil conservation. Try and awarer
is clear. You may use a simple rhyme scheme. ensure that the met:
§ Critical Thinking (Knowledge of India): What is India's
land use pattern? What cou'
the reason for this pattern?
Critical Thnking: How is agriculture responsible for the degradation of soil? Research e:
find out some effective ways of conserving the soil and replenishing its
fertility.
Project Work (Experiential Learning) : Make a mixture of five parts of compost, to
parts of garden soil and two parts of sand. Mix them well. Crock a hole in the pot. Plant ye r
favourite plant in this. Write the steps of planting along with the photographs.
Life Skills and Values (Experiential Learning): Segregate the waste in your house.
to make compost from biodegradable waste. Use the manure to grow Some medicinal
like basil, aloe vera and lemon grass in pots.
134
 hoose
the
correct option,
Landis generally used for
Exercises
cultivation of crops
c grazinglivestock
e th
b. construction of buildings
Landownedbyindividuals is called áll of these
) communityland

Thetern
arable land' means
cultivable land
uivaard
b. public land
C. common land
d. private land

b. degraded land
d. arid land
C. irrigated land
Rvervalleys have the best soils because
they are wet all the time
b. annual floods renew it with silt
.they are low-lying areas
d. none of these
Terrace farming and contour ploughing are practised for
; rearing animals
nthe blanks
[bConserving soil C. bringing rainfall d. eroding soil

Fertileriver valleys angplains are densely populated because they are suitable for aguioutu
¿nddecayed remainsstethin
of plantsupper layer of the Earth's crust, made up of disintegrated
and animals.
isnot accompanied by proper drainaga UE
aresultirrigation
Two major problemsithat affect soil as Wnen of over rirrigation are u h , gnd
Fertile soils are called Prairies.
Gveone word.
soilthat is found in the Krishna-Godavari Valey
planted row of trees to check wind speed and soil erosion

growing crops on steps along hillsides

and with little or no vegetation
: soil found close to the river valleys
Sdythe table below and answer the questions.
Landuse pattern in selected countries (2005)
(inpercentage of area under different categories)
Forest Other uses Total
Countries Arable land Crop land Pasture
4 39 52 100
4.57 5
zda 100
56 14 24
sralia 6.15 6
66 5 100
6.93 20
Erzil 100
34 14 42
16.13 10
32 21 100
21 26
18.01 100
4 22 17
48.83 57
67 19 100
11.64 12
27 17 100
35 21
33.46 10 15 100
29 46
23.23

135
 cOmect opcin Exercises
constructen of buildngs
s alet Ahese
uivatard
Dbic land C common land d priate land

d arid land
hes sois becase C imigated land

6 annuzl fioods renew it with silt

d none of these
ant sL
Inimas contoghng are pratised for
orserving soil c bringing rainfall d eroding soil

because they are suitable for agicultus

ales a Dans ae densay
populated
upper tayer of
eans of pas and animals the Earthls cns made up of dsintegrated
A btours when imgzöon is no 2ccompanied by proper drainaga
--TOODbes t a1et soisiresut of overirigaöion are Oand Duluitut
--sont in e Krishna-Godaarn aley
--Rwo s e K Wndspeed and soi erosion
E son s along hillsides

e abie beow and answer the questions.

Laiase pattern in selected countries (2005)
percentage of area ander different categories)
Arable land Crop land Pasture Forest Other ses Total
457 39 52 100
515 56 14 24 100
20 66 5 100
1613 10 34 14 42 100

18 01 21 26 32 21 100
57 4 22 17 100
45 83
12 67 19 100
1164
35 21 27 17 100
3346
46 10 15 100
23.23 29

135