“The history of mining until this century was one of small-scale operations, often crude in terms of technology and hazardous to health and safety but nevertheless providing the necessary mineral raw materials for society. In contrast, resource development in the 20th century has been marked by the growth of large mining utilizing economies of scale. . . .
“In recent years this philosophy has come under increasing criticism in developing countries. . . . Many planners and theoreticians have thus begun to emphasize a “basic needs” approach to raising the quality of life and increasingly the focus has been on the growth of a self-reliant economy “de-linked” from the North, on rural development and on the utilization of appropriate technologies.
“The interest in minerals has begun to return to the idea of small-scale operations. The main lead came from the United Nations in a major survey of small mining in developing countries (Skelding, 1972). . . . Even in an industrialized country like Canada where mining is a major industry, there have been serious calls for re-emergence of the small mining enterprise and the junior mining company.”
From the recently published Small-scale Mining: A Guide to Appropriate Equipment, published by Intermediate Technologies Publications in association with the International Development Research Centre with assistance from the Commonwealth Science Council.
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