Land information systems in the Near East Region: an overview
Inventory of land resources is a requisite for the proper utilization and sustainable management of the natural resource base of any country. The intensive agricultural activities in many Near East countries during the past three decades have had impact on the land and water resources. However, many nations, particularly in developing countries, had little choice but to increase food outputs through intensification and a considerable spatial expansion, resulting in deployment of more land for farming. If these agricultural activities are to be sustained in order to meet the increasing demands for food and fiber, accurate inventories become imperative for the assessment of available natural resources (arable land and renewable water resources) within reach in each country.
Soil survey (whether reconnaissance, semi-detailed, or detailed) becomes increasingly expensive and time-consuming. The same is the case for water resources studies, particularly the groundwater resources assessment and monitoring. Therefore, there is increasing acceptance and use of automation and remote sensing tools, which tend to reduce costs per unit area and facilitate data storage, retrieval and analysis.
FAO, as an international provider of technical assistance and updated information related to food and agriculture, has long realized the pivotal role of acquiring adequate information related to land and water resources. From 1972, FAO has been active in building a global soil map and GIS-based soil information system, starting with the FAO-UNESCO Soil Map of the World at 1:5 M scale. Numerous documents such as: FAO Soils Bulletins, Irrigation and Drainage Papers, as well as World Reports on Land and Water were issued. In addition, many countries have received FAO technical help to support national efforts for inventories of land and water resources and for establishing their national specialized information tools and data bases such as GIS, SOTER, ALES, Water Data Bank etc. The Egyptian experience in establishing the Gateway for Land and Water Resources, which proved to be a useful information tool, is encouraging other countries in the Region to follow this example.
One of the recently developed land resources assessment tools, the Soil and Terrain Database (SOTER) was introduced in 1993 through the joint efforts of FAO, ISRIC, UNEP and the International Soil Science Society (ISSS). Because it gives a comprehensive and integrated approach to soil resources assessment, SOTER was widely accepted. FAO/AGL, through its global SOTER facility, is contributing to the update of the 1972 Soil Map of the World. This was achieved in northeastern Africa, north and central Asia as well as Latin America and the Caribbean. Similar efforts are being made to complete this step for East Africa and for central and eastern Europe.
In the N.E. Region, the following achievements were made.
The first regional training seminar on SOTER methodology for landuse planning was held 10-16 May 1997 at ACSAD, Syria, with land resources and soil specialists from 10 countries. The Second regional training seminar on SOTER applications for monitoring of land degradation was held 20-27 Sept. 1998 at ACSAD, with 10 countries attending. Both Seminars were held jointly with ACSAD, CEDARE and ISRIC.
Egypt: The total agricultural land of Egypt is about 3.28 million ha, of which 3.02 million ha are in the Nile Valley, which are almost entirely dependent on irrigation. Around 840 000 ha in Egypt are classified as salt-affected, covering 60 percent of the cultivated lands in the north Delta, 20 percent of the South and Middle Delta, and 25 percent of the soils in Upper Egypt.
Between 1907 and 1999, the arable area increased by only about 1million ha, while the country's population increased nearly six fold, from 11.2 to 65 million. The area of arable land available per person declined by 75 percent during this period (currently it is 0.05ha per capita).
The most detailed survey of land resources of Egypt was completed in 1986 under the Land Master Plan. Based on this survey, the total land that could be reclaimed, subject to water availability, was estimated at 1.43 million ha. It is essential that the Government give due attention to curb the loss of arable land to urbanization and preserve the country agricultural soils, through considering these three principles:
Jordan and Syria: Through an EU-funded project Jordan and Syria have established a soil resources database and produced a national soils map for each country. The technical staff from both countries worked together towards standardizing and harmonizing the terminology and legends used and jointly produced a unified map, covering the two countries, called MESOTER at a scale of 1:500 000.
The National Soil Map and Land Use Project in Jordan estimated that some 0.94 million ha were suitable for irrigation and about 0.65 million ha were potentially fit for rainfed agriculture. Maps for the whole country at a scale of 1:250 000 are available, in addition to a land use map at 1:50 000 scale (covering 0.9 Mha); and a detailed soil map at 1:10 000 scale (covering about 100 000 ha) in areas of high potential for agricultural investment projects.
Lebanon: Lebanon was assisted through a small fund from the RNE Soil sub-programme to establish a SOTER map for Lebanon, in October 1999. Due to the small land area of the country the scale used for Syria and Jordan (1:500 000) would not have been adequate. A larger scale of 1:200 000 was used and resulted in identifying 51 SOTER units in Lebanon. The country is also part of similar efforts by the European Soils Bureau, covering the East Mediterranean countries. The staff of the National Scientific Research Institute in Beirut are working an update of a soil map, and hope to refine and validate the SOTER map of the country.
Libyan Jamahiriya: Like many countries in the Region, Libya had conducted several soil surveys over the past 30 years, following various survey methods (USDA Taxonomy, French, Russian, FAO/UNESCO). Some available soil data exists in scattered governmental institutions and departments, including Ministry of Agriculture, Surveying Authority, and the Libyan Center for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences. Topographic maps at 1:50 000 and 1:100 000 scales exist, covering northern and northwestern areas, which are the more significant for their agricultural potential. The new Land Resources Information Management System and Soil Inventory Project (UTF /LIB/004) is bound to establish a Land Information System for the country. It is expected to produce land capability classification maps, SOTER and landuse maps; as well as to conduct more in-depth soil studies for the main agricultural region in the country, the Jifarah Plain in the northwest.
Mauritania: With the help of RNE the country produced a SOTER map identifying 20 SOTER units (at 1:200 000 scale) identifying 20 SOTER units, in October 1997.
Morocco: The country has established a national SOTER unit with assistance from RNE and in cooperation with King Hassan II University, and a soil map at 1:5 million scale was prepared.
Saudi Arabia: In a vast country like Saudi Arabia - land area about 225 million ha - an inventory of land resources becomes essential to the agricultural investments, which reached monumental rates of growth during the 1980s. Although the horizontal expansion of agricultural activities continued thereafter, it was at a slower pace because of various factors, with water availability assuming the prime consideration. FAO started providing technical assistance in land resources inventory to the Kingdom in 1983 through a major national soil survey and land classification project (UTFN/SAU/015/SAU), which was mandated to survey and evaluate soil resources at a high level of reconnaissance intensity for about 0.72M ha, identified and delineated as most promising for agricultural investment in addition to conducting soil surveys in arable areas. The Project scope also included: establishing soil, water and plant nutrition analyses, and assisting the Land Management Department of the Ministry in their land distribution programme. The outputs Project included a land-resource data bank, including a soil atlas of 82 map sheets covering the country at 1:500 000 scale; a land use map of the country; an automated land evaluation system (ALES software adapted to Saudi conditions); a set of AEZ maps; and a detailed soil survey for about 600 000 ha in the central, eastern, and southern regions.
Yemen: The country went through more than 20 soil surveys of various kinds during the past three decades, using different systems, such as USDA, Russian, East European, and FAO/UNESCO. The recent FAO-executed project GCP/021/YEM/NL initiated a soil map at a scale of 1:500 000, including soil resources, distribution, characterization and classification. A land use map at the same scale is under way through an extended phase of the same project. A soil database incorporating over 500 soil profile descriptions from previous soil surveys, as well as a climatic data base were also established. In addition, a national SOTER unit was set up and a land cover map at 1:500 000 scale is under preparation. The nucleus of a National GIS was established and an Operation Manual was compiled for the use of ArcInfo and ArcView.
A digital LRIS allows the combination of data layers in developing land use models, as well as in preparing zoning maps and other thematic maps. In this way, numerous applications can be developed using basic data sets and computerized models. These tools can produce various maps and other outputs presenting and facilitating the evaluation of results related to climate, soils, land cover, land use, water resources, land suitability and socio-economic data analysis.
From such outputs products many uses and benefits from establishing an LRIS Gateway for a country can be envisaged, including better land use planning, monitoring of land and water resources, and promoting sustainable land and water use.
Better land use planning: The arable land available per capita in the Near East Region is about 0.22 ha; and16 countries in the Region have renewable water resources below the deficiency level of 500 m³/caput. This alarming situation in many member states increases the need for a reliable and easily accessible database on the land and water resources in each country. Appropriate plans for land and water resources utilization and allocation should be achieved; particularly with the tough competition that agriculture is facing from other economic sectors such as industry, urban development and tourism.
Monitoring of land and water resources: The intensive farming activities that in several countries have resulted in the deterioration of both soil productivity and water quality. These trends became serious concerns which need to be closely studied, monitored regularly and addressed by effective measures, in order to check their detrimental impacts. Soil salinization and desertification of agricultural lands are serious threats to land development projects and to food security efforts in many countries. In Egypt for example, the extent of prime agricultural lands that have become salt-affected by high watertable, impaired drainage and poor agricultural and irrigation practices has reached about 840 000 ha.
Promoting sustainable land and water use: The sustainability concept is of prime importance since these two natural resources are essential for the livelihood of all communities. To sustain the rational and efficient use of this natural resource base is imperative, not only for the current stake-holders, but also for future generations
The Land Resources Information System (LRIS) at EALIP of the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation has been operational since 1997 through a FAO Project "Strengthening the information capacity of the Executive Authority for Land Improvement Projects". As a part of this system a GIS facility was established to collect, store, retrieve, analyse, and display spatial data in a timely manner and at low cost. The soil database provided the necessary soil data to the GIS unit for the production of maps and other outputs related to several activities:
Further benefits from the above Project were strengthening national capacity, through equipment upgrade and staff training, of the central and provincial soil laboratories to provide reliable data for identifying soil productivity constraints, as well as for monitoring and evaluation of soil improvement activities.
The monitoring and evaluation process is presently operated by the EALIP, to serve as a tool for reporting on resources utilization and the progress of field operations. This undertaking became possible due to the linkage that was made between monitoring information and the GIS unit. EALIP was able, therefore, to track and monitor the progress reports on most of its soil improvement operations; evaluate these activities; and to introduce any corrective measures that might be needed for land improvement.
Economic evaluation based on benefit/cost ratios was becoming a standard practice for continuous assessment of the Authority activities. However, the economic evaluation was conducted only in cases where yield data showed statistically significant increases in the particular amelioration treatment. When an economic evaluation was carried out within an "integrated soil and water improvement programme" at the Authority, some varying results in crop yield were observed. These differences were thought to be related to problems in the field monitoring programme, perhaps some inadequate data sets. The evaluation showed a positive impact of soil improvement processes on cotton, wheat and rice. For maize and berseem the impact was greatest in the first and second year but ceased by the fifth year.
Technical evaluation of the land improvement processes showed a significant response to deep ploughing and to the addition of gypsum in field plots located in Kafr- El- Sheikh, Fayyum and Beni-Suef Governorates. Changes in soil salinity (EC) and sodicity (ESP) of the 0-30 and 30 - 60 cm layers were most pronounced in the second year of the amelioration treatment. From then and until year 4, the values were similar to those preceding the amelioration. Yield increases of the main crops (wheat, maize, cotton, rice and faba beans), were observed and B/C ratios ranging from 4.3 for wheat to 8.8 for rice were reported.
It should be emphasized here that a successful land improvement programme would require farmers to integrate these land improvement activities with their on-farm soil and water management practices.
The FAO Land and Water Development Division (AGL) initiated an Internet Gateway for land and water information to serve as a global facility for these resources. Similar national similar databases can be connected to this Gateway and benefit from the exchange of information and experience of other countries. FAO convened a number of workshops and meetings for promoting this methodology in West Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the current Regional Workshop for the Near East. As a result of these efforts, the Gateway now is operational in several countries, including Bangladesh, China, Malaysia, Ghana, Nigeria, Egypt, Iran, Botswana and South Africa.
A standardized methodology to serve as a general framework for reporting on the state of land and water resources was prepared in the form of Guidelines. This is to ensure that reports will be comparable along the lines of common themes, such as land use and degradation, state of water resources, hot spots and bright spots. These guidelines will be updated, as more experience is gained through their actual implementation in different countries
Updated Land and Water reports with major topics, discussion items, constraints and possible solutions, as well as relevant links could prove to be valuable for decision-makers and planners. Desk-top information should be preferably presented to land use planners, officials and politicians in the form of trends depicted in a visual format (maps, tables, charts, and images). Comparisons and time series trends showing major concerns to communities such as desert encroachment, salinization of water resources, and urbanization consuming agricultural lands are good eye-catching examples.
Upon the recognition and acceptance by country representatives of the feasibility and usefulness of this facility, action and follow-up is needed from both FAO and the countries. FAO should continue to fulfil its leading role and in the development and maintenance of the LRIS information system to function as a clearing house for exchange of knowledge and technology transfer.
FAO, with full co-operation of countries, is expected to assist in realizing these tasks:
Member Countries are expected to work closely with FAO through:
