An appreciation of mining begins with an appreciation of land use.

"Land use is characterised (click here) by the arrangements, activities and inputs people undertake in a certain land cover type to produce, change or maintain it" (FAO/UNEP, 1999) (Adopted during the course of development of the Land Cover Classification System, LCCS). A more inclusive definition of land-use is often used in practice. 'Land use' actually includes near-surface water (see the definition of land). Any given area of land is usually used to satisfy multiple objectives or purposes....

• What: the purpose of activities undertaken - e.g. the specific products and services, that are sought

• Where: the geographic location and extent of the spatial unit under consideration 

• When: the temporal aspects of various activities undertaken - e.g. the sequence of carried out operations like planting, weeding, etc..

• How: the technologies employed - e.g. technological inputs/ materials such as fertilizer, irrigation, labor, etc.. 

• How much: quantitative measures - e.g. areas, products 

• Why: the reasons underlying the current land use – e.g. land tenure, labour costs, market conditions, etc.....

FAO (click here) was an inspiration of American agriculturist, David Lubin. FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization) had it's beginnings in 1905, but, was a political topic since the late 1800s. The beginning of the industrial revolution sparked worry about the natural world and agriculture no different than we worry today.

The FAO Country Profiles (click here)

Land Cover Classification System (LCCS) (click here)
Classification Concepts and User Manual