Introduction and study objectives

The primary objective of this work is to produce an inventory of crops for Jericho, a governorate that plays an important role in agricultural production in the West Bank. ARIJ, the PMoA and the PWA used Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and data for ground truthing collected in-situ at the peak of the two growing seasons (figure 1) to produce two crop maps: for the winter and spring growing season in 2025.

This exercise aimed to map crops covering more than 10% of the cultivated area while also including other agriculturally important crops that might be below this threshold, such as cauliflower, squash and corn .

The study faced significant operational challenges due to movement restrictions and transportation limitations resulting from the geopolitical and security situation, which affected field survey accessibility and sampling strategies. The team sought to mitigate these challenges by:

• making adaptations to the methodology such as the adoption of a sampling strategy that entailed dividing the target area into sections, focusing on areas where access was possible and seeking to collect a representative sample for each crop, and 
• including satellite imagery analysis by experts in the validation process in order to verify and extend field observations. 

This ultimately allowed for successful conduction of surveys during the peak of of the winter and spring growing seasons without any delays.

Why crop maps?

Crops maps can serve a wide range of purposes. In the context of this study and the local needs of the governorate, they are meant to assist with:

• water resource optimization: they allow the calculation of water consumption by crop type and can enable the evaluation of the current cropping calendar and the development of ones that better match water availability cycles, thereby supporting more sustainable agricultural water management;
• evidence-based policy development and measures for sustainable agriculture among others through climate adaptation and the improvement of agricultural planning for local consumption (food security) and crops for export markets (economic profitability);
• strategic economic planning; and
• the documentation of impacts of occupation restrictions on agricultural productivity, which ultimately can support advocacy for more equitable water and land access for Palestinian farmers.
  

The ultimate goal is to increase the profitability and sustainability of Palestinian agriculture while addressing food security concerns through data-driven decision-making that optimizes the use of limited land and water resources in Palestine's challenging geopolitical context.

The Applied Research Institute of Jerusalem (ARIJ) performed this crop mapping exercise in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture (PMoA), and the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA). The crop maps were produced under the purview of the WaPOR project which, in Palestine, focuses on Jericho for the development of a tool for the monitoring of groundwater abstraction for irrigation, and of an irrigation advisory mobile application. 

Acronyms and units:

Dunum: a unit of area measurement commonly used in the Middle East.
1 dunum = 1,000 square meters (m²) = 0.1 hectares

The Jericho Governorate is located in the eastern part of the West Bank. It spans an area of approximately 592.815 km² (592 815 dunums) and includes various land use categories such as agricultural land, Palestinian and settler built-up areas, closed military zones and bases bases, open spaces, forests, as well as mined areas.

Agriculture in the Jordan Valley is essential to Palestine’s agricultural sector and national economy, contributing significantly to food security, exports, and employment. Despite Israeli-imposed restrictions on land, water and inputs access, which limit the full production potential, the Jordan Valley remains a cornerstone for vegetable and fruit production. Palestinian agriculture represents around 7% of the national GDP and employs about 12% of the workforce, making it vital for economic stability. 

More information on the different characteristics of the study area:

The project team selected QGIS, an open-source geographic information system, for analyzing satellite imagery to map crop types using data sources like Sentinel-2 and Landsat. They employed supervised classification methods, training classifiers with ground truth data from field surveys to identify different crop types based on their spectral characteristics. The Semi-Automatic Classification Plugin within QGIS was used alongside Sentinel-2 imagery to create accurate crop type maps for the study area. Data preprocessing involved importing field survey data from Kobo Toolbox, cleaning it in Excel, and converting it to GIS shape files with digitized polygons around GPS sample points. The land cover data was classified into categories including natural vegetation, non-vegetation, water bodies, and various cropland types, with unique numerical codes added to the attribute tables for systematic classification.

Winter growing season (2023 - 2024)

Spring growing season (2024)

Winter map classification statistics:

• nearly half the land remained bare (bare soil 48.5%);
• urban areas comprised 19.3% of the total surveyed area;
• and cultivated land accounted for 32.2% of the total surveyed area (regardless of who cultivates the land): 62,521 dunums.

Agricultural production concentrated on 62,521 dunums of cultivated land: tree crops dominated the landscape, palm trees, along with banana and citrus cultivation, occupied 80% of agricultural area (49,721 dunums); vegetables and field crops occupied the remaining 20% (12,800 dunums).

Palestinian farmers managed 32,351 dunums compared to 30,170 dunums cultivated by settlers.

The study revealed distinct farming approaches between the two groups:

• Palestinian farmers focused on open-field irrigated agriculture, cultivating 5,176 dunums of vegetables and representing 64.6% of total vegetable farming; primarily eggplants, corn, and cauliflower, with squash representing the smallest cultivation area.
• Israeli settlers, however, controlled 51.3% of greenhouse operations (3,259 dunums), demonstrating superior access to advanced technology, infrastructure, and irrigation systems.

The classification yielded an 88.8% overall classification accuracy and 84.6% Kappa statistic, showcasing the great potential of combining satellite imagery with field validation for agricultural monitoring. 

Recommendations

The ARIJ contextualized the findings of the study of the two crop maps, to create a list of recommendations that can support the improvement of Palestinian agriculture, guiding decision-maker actions and investments in a few categories: 

1. Water use optimization

Agricultural stakeholders should prioritize implementing water-saving technologies including drip irrigation and precision agriculture systems across Palestinian farming areas to address the current water scarcity challenges.

The expansion of treated wastewater use for irrigation presents a viable solution, building on the successful Jericho waste water treatment plant permitting farmers to utilize as much as 82% of treated effluent for date palm irrigation. It has to be, however, accompanied with other interventions, such as the development of soil moisture conservation techniques such as mulching and cover cropping to maximize water retention efficiency, particularly important given the 371.3 mm increase in evaporation rates documented in the climate tab of the study area section in this page. 

2. Technology transfer and capacity building

Palestinian farmers require technical and financial support to expand greenhouse agriculture, which offers superior water efficiency and profitability compared to open-field cultivation. Political stability is, however, a pre-requisite for this to be achieved. Training programs should focus on advanced agricultural techniques, including: 

• greenhouse management,
• integrated pest management, and
• climate-resilient farming practices that can help farmers cope with the temperature increases of 1.5-5.4°C above historical averages.

Agricultural professionals also need access and trainng on data-driven tools such as the ones based on WaPOR data to enhance local capacity for agricultural monitoring and planning, ensuring the sustainability of crop mapping initiatives.

3. Agricultural planning and data systems

The development of integrated cropping calendars based on water availability, crop demand, and market conditions would optimize resource allocation in this water-constrained environment. Establishing a national crop mapping system that extends this methodology to all Palestinian governorates would create comprehensive agricultural monitoring capabilities. This is partially already in motion with the integration of WaPOR data into the Palestinian water information system. The linking of this information system with a centralized agricultural database that includes data such as crop maps, market information, as well as climate projections has the pontential to enable evidence-based decision-making for sustainable agricultural development.

4. Climate adaptation

The current climate pressures create a need for drought-resistant crop varieties and farming techniques that are adapted to the rising temperatures and the increased evaporation rates. Moreover, early warning systems for climate risks including heatwaves, droughts, and extreme weather events can help farmers proactively protect their crops and adjust cultivation practices. Climate-smart agricultural practices that reduce water demand while maintaining productivity are essential for long-term agricultural sustainability in the region.

5. Resource access and rights

Occupation-imposed restrictions on access to land and water resources, has and continues to be one of the biggest hurdles facing Palestinian farmers. 27.8 - 28% of surveyed land remains under Israeli control (in Winter and Spring).

Palestinian authorities need support in developing policies that ensure equitable resource distribution and sustainable land management practices. Documenting and sharing the impacts of resource restrictions on Palestinian agricultural productivity and food security can contribute to strengthening advocacy efforts and inform international policy discussions.

6. Research and monitoring

Regular crop mapping surveys using remote sensing technology enable the monitoring of agricultural dynamics over time and of the impacts of agricultural policies. Having that information on a regular basis can ensure that decision-makers have the best and most current data for strategic planning.

The ultimate goal remains increasing the profitability and sustainability of agriculture in the Jericho Governorate while enhancing food security through data-driven decision-making that optimizes limited land and water resources. Success will require sustained commitment to both technological advancement and addressing the structural barriers that currently constrain Palestinian agricultural development in this strategically important region.

Conclusions

This comprehensive crop mapping study of Jericho Governorate demonstrates the significant value of integrating remote sensing technologies with field validation for agricultural monitoring in complex geopolitical environments. The research successfully mapped crop distributions across winter and spring seasons 2023-2024, achieving high classification accuracies of 88.8% (winter) and 85.7% (spring), while revealing critical insights about agricultural dynamics in one of Palestine's most important farming regions.

The study documented a substantial increase in cultivated land from winter to spring seasons driven by the emergence of spring field crops, the nearly doubling of open irrigated vegetables and the continued expansion of tree cultivation.  However, the research uncovered persistent structural constraints that limit Palestinian agricultural potential. Israeli control of over 27.8-28% of the surveyed area, particularly prime agricultural land and water resources, creates fundamental barriers to sustainable development. Moreover, climate data revealed intensifying environmental pressures, with temperatures consistently above historical averages and evaporation rates higher than normal. These conditions, combined with unchanged precipitation patterns, are creating additional stress on an already water-constrained agricultural system.