Land use includes "the actions, activities and interventions that people carry out on a certain type of surface to produce, modify or maintain it" (FAO, 1997a; FAO/UNEP, 1999).[1]​.

Land use encompasses the management and modification of the natural environment to convert it into agricultural land: arable fields, pastures; or human settlements. The term land use is also used to refer to the different uses of land in zoning.

Land use practices vary considerably in different parts of the world. The Water Development Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations explains that "Land use comprises the products and/or benefits obtained from the use of land as well as the land management actions (activities) carried out by humans to produce such products and benefits."[2]​ In the early 1990s, approximately 13% of the Earth's surface was considered arable land, with 26% grassland, 32% forests, and 1.5% urban areas.

As Albert Guttenberg (1959) noted, "'Land use' is a key term in the language of city planning."[3] Political jurisdictions typically undertake land use planning and regulation in an attempt to avoid conflict. Land use plans are implemented by dividing land and regulating its use, such as zoning. Management consulting firms and non-governmental organizations attempt to influence these regulations before they are approved and enacted.