Six Decades of Rural Landscape Transformation in Five Lebanese Villages
During the last six decades, Lebanon’s landscapes have undergone significant regime shifts whose causes are under-investigated. Using land cover maps from 1962 and satellite imagery from 2014 and 2023 in five randomly selected villages across Lebanon’s major agroecological zones (AEZs), we identifie...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| author | Abed Al Kareem Yehya Thanh Thi Nguyen Martin Wiehle Rami Zurayk Andreas Buerkert |
| author_facet | Abed Al Kareem Yehya Thanh Thi Nguyen Martin Wiehle Rami Zurayk Andreas Buerkert |
| author_sort | Abed Al Kareem Yehya |
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| description | During the last six decades, Lebanon’s landscapes have undergone significant regime shifts whose causes are under-investigated. Using land cover maps from 1962 and satellite imagery from 2014 and 2023 in five randomly selected villages across Lebanon’s major agroecological zones (AEZs), we identified salient trends in the urbanization-driven transformation of land use and land cover (LULC). Household socio-economic characteristics and environmental pressures were analyzed as independent variables influencing land use decisions. Logistic regression (LR) was employed to assess the significance of these variables in shaping farmers’ choices to transition toward “perennialization”—namely fruit tree monocropping or protected agriculture. The LR results indicate that education reduced the likelihood of “perennialization” by 45% (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Farm size positively influenced “perennialization” (<i>p</i> < 0.01), suggesting that land availability encourages this agricultural practice. In contrast, water availability negatively affects “perennialization” (<i>p</i> < 0.01), though farmers may still opt to irrigate by purchasing water during shortages. Our findings underline the complex interplay of socio-economic and environmental dynamics and historical events in shaping Lebanon’s rural landscapes and they offer insights into similar transformations across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-84ca632c948b4e6c95e301c2e32903ee |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2073-445X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Land |
| spelling | doaj-art-84ca632c948b4e6c95e301c2e32903ee2025-08-20T03:12:22ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2025-01-0114226210.3390/land14020262Six Decades of Rural Landscape Transformation in Five Lebanese VillagesAbed Al Kareem Yehya0Thanh Thi Nguyen1Martin Wiehle2Rami Zurayk3Andreas Buerkert4Organic Plant Production and Agroecosystems Research in the Tropics and Subtropics (OPATS), Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences, University of Kassel, Steinstr. 19, 37213 Witzenhausen, GermanyOrganic Plant Production and Agroecosystems Research in the Tropics and Subtropics (OPATS), Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences, University of Kassel, Steinstr. 19, 37213 Witzenhausen, GermanyOrganic Plant Production and Agroecosystems Research in the Tropics and Subtropics (OPATS), Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences, University of Kassel, Steinstr. 19, 37213 Witzenhausen, GermanyLandscape Design and Ecosystem Management, Maroon Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, American University of Beirut, Bliss St., Beirut 1107-2020, LebanonOrganic Plant Production and Agroecosystems Research in the Tropics and Subtropics (OPATS), Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences, University of Kassel, Steinstr. 19, 37213 Witzenhausen, GermanyDuring the last six decades, Lebanon’s landscapes have undergone significant regime shifts whose causes are under-investigated. Using land cover maps from 1962 and satellite imagery from 2014 and 2023 in five randomly selected villages across Lebanon’s major agroecological zones (AEZs), we identified salient trends in the urbanization-driven transformation of land use and land cover (LULC). Household socio-economic characteristics and environmental pressures were analyzed as independent variables influencing land use decisions. Logistic regression (LR) was employed to assess the significance of these variables in shaping farmers’ choices to transition toward “perennialization”—namely fruit tree monocropping or protected agriculture. The LR results indicate that education reduced the likelihood of “perennialization” by 45% (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Farm size positively influenced “perennialization” (<i>p</i> < 0.01), suggesting that land availability encourages this agricultural practice. In contrast, water availability negatively affects “perennialization” (<i>p</i> < 0.01), though farmers may still opt to irrigate by purchasing water during shortages. Our findings underline the complex interplay of socio-economic and environmental dynamics and historical events in shaping Lebanon’s rural landscapes and they offer insights into similar transformations across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/2/262agricultural systemsenvironmental pressureslandscape changesocio-economic characteristics |
| spellingShingle | Abed Al Kareem Yehya Thanh Thi Nguyen Martin Wiehle Rami Zurayk Andreas Buerkert Six Decades of Rural Landscape Transformation in Five Lebanese Villages Land agricultural systems environmental pressures landscape change socio-economic characteristics |
| title | Six Decades of Rural Landscape Transformation in Five Lebanese Villages |
| title_full | Six Decades of Rural Landscape Transformation in Five Lebanese Villages |
| title_fullStr | Six Decades of Rural Landscape Transformation in Five Lebanese Villages |
| title_full_unstemmed | Six Decades of Rural Landscape Transformation in Five Lebanese Villages |
| title_short | Six Decades of Rural Landscape Transformation in Five Lebanese Villages |
| title_sort | six decades of rural landscape transformation in five lebanese villages |
| topic | agricultural systems environmental pressures landscape change socio-economic characteristics |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/2/262 |
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