Land resources information system in Jordan
Jordan, a semi-arid country, 8.9 million ha in extent, has an average rainfall ranging from 500 mm/year in the highlands to less than 50mm/year in the eastern parts of the desert. Mean temperatures are 8-16 C in winter and 22-26 C in summer. There are 18 physiographic regions, including the Jordan valley, escarpments and highlands, sandstone, basement, basalt and limestone plateaus, partly dissected, and closed depression.
Besides the capital Amman there are six major cities. Of the total population (an estimated 4.7 million in 1998), 79 percent live in the major cities and 21 percent in the rural areas. Agriculture accounts for 20 percent of the labour force and 15 percent of GDP.
Three main agricultural zones are distinguished in the country, for rainfed agriculture, irrigated agriculture and mixed land use. The major cropping pattern is wheat or barley followed by fallow or summer crops. A land cover map of ten percent of the country was prepared in 1994 based on the FAO legend, using satellite imagery at a scale of 1:50 000. Urban areas tend to encroach on agricultural land and fruit trees are gradually replacing annual crops.
Land suitability maps were prepared for almost 10 percent of the country according to the Framework for Land Evaluation, on the basis of the soil map of the potentially arable lands. Ratings were made for five major land uses: rainfed cereals, rainfed perennial crops, drip irrigation, forestry and rangeland use.
JOSCIS, the Jordan Soil and Climate Information System, started in the early nineties, consists of a database management system (DBMS) and a geographic information system (GIS). It covers some 44 000 soil descriptions of which about on tenth are fully described and analyzed soil pits. Soils and geological maps are included, as well as other GIS layers such as hydrology, temperature and precipitation form other department.
Problems include scarcity of water resources and low rainfall; unbalanced land use and limited land resources; erosion; drought; forest fires and degradation of vegetation cover.
Assets include a stable and secure country with a good climate and high potential for tourism, and well-educated, hardworking population.
