Introduction - Historical Land Use/Land Cover Classification Using Remote Sensing - page 1

Chapter 1
Introduction
1.1 Problem Statement and Research Questions
Syria, with a total area of 185,180,000 km 2 , has arable land estimated at 6.22
million hectares, or 33 % of the total area of the country. The cultivated land is
estimated at 5.66 million ha, which is 94.07 % of the cultivable area. Of this area,
4.27 million ha consists of annual crops and 0.67 million ha consists of permanent
crops. About 62.41 % of the cultivated area is located in the three northern
governorates (Aleppo, Arraqqa and Al-Hasakah), representing only 33 % of the
total area of the country. The area of steppe and pastures is about 8.23 million ha,
or 44 %; non arable land about 3.68 million ha, or 20 %; and forests quasi 0.57
million ha, or 3 % of the total area of Syria (Central Bureau of Statistics: CBS
2009 ). The total populations were 23.02 million in 2009 (as registered by the
Department of Civil Status), while the number of permanent residents, excluding
those who live outside Syria, were 19.88 million. Some 46.48 % of the population
lives in rural areas. Actual population growth was 2.5 % for the period 2000-2005.
Agriculture employs around 16.79 % of the total labor force, accounting for nearly
20 % of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), compared to 39 % in 1963. In 2004, the
average population density was about 96 inhabitants/km 2 (CBS 2009 ). Almost
55 % of Syria is dry steppe or quasi-desert, suitable only for grazing sheep and
goats. Rain-based farming of cereals, food and feed legumes is the backbone of
agriculture in Syria. Irrigated land makes up about 23.91 % of cultivated land,
which is about 7 % of the total area of the country (Kangarani 2006 ; CBS 2008 ).
Agriculture has traditionally been the foundation of the economy (46.48 % of the
population was described as rural in 2009, with 16.79 % of the population employed
in the agricultural sector and 20 % of Syria's GDP attributed to this industry). The
agricultural sector has been influenced over the past 40 years by several factors.
First, a growing population (4.565 million in 1960, compared to 19.88 million in
2009) with a slight increase in acreage. Secondly, the natural climactic conditions in
Syria are not conducive to agricultural stability, due to heavy precipitation. Since the
output of agriculture (both plant and animal) is heavily dependent on precipitation
(only about 23.91 % of the cropped area is irrigated), the large variation in the