Planning to make the best use of land is not a new idea. Over the years,
farmers have made plans season after season, deciding what to grow and
where to grow it. Their decisions have been made according to their own
needs, their knowledge of the land and the technology, labour and capital
available. As the size of the area, the number of people involved and the
complexity of the problems increase, so does the need for information and
rigorous methods of analysis and planning.
However, land-use planning is not just farm