Spatial Assessment of Urbanization on the Irrigated Perimeter
Case of the Province of Sidi Slimane
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48346/IMIST.PRSM/ajlp-gs.v8i7.56320Keywords:
urbanisationAbstract
Context and background
This paper presents a spatial evaluation of the impact of urbanization on irrigated areas, utilizing remote sensing tools, mapping, and spatial modeling. Using high-resolution satellite imagery (Sentinel and Land-sat), the study enables the detection and quantification of land use changes, particularly the loss of irrigated agricultural land to urbanization. The study area focuses on the province of Sidi Slimane, located within the Gharb irrigated perimeter, covering the period from 2017 to 2021. Spatial data is integrated into a geographic information system (GIS) to analyze the evolution of urban areas. This work highlights the relevance of geospatial approaches in supporting land-use policies and raising awareness of the risks associated with the loss of strategic land resources crucial for national food security.
Goal and Objectives:
This research aims to evaluate the extent and implications of urban development in the Sidi Slimane region between 2017 and 2021, with a specific focus on irrigated agricultural land. It analyzes land use changes within the Gharb irrigated perimeter, delineates the spatial expansion of urban areas in relation to high-value agricultural zones, and identifies key risk factors affecting irrigation infrastructure and agricultural labor.
Methodology:
Both remote sensing and GIS have been integrated together for the purpose of analyzing the spatial aspects of urban expansion. Copernicus Open Access Hub and USGS Earth Explorer provided access to Sentinel and Landsat images for the years 2017 and 2021 which were high-resolution images. Atmospheric correction, geometric alignment, and editing using a shapefile of the irrigated perimeter all fall under the category of preprocessing steps. Built-up areas were extracted during supervised classification.
Results:
The study revealed a 1030 hectares increase in urbanized land within the irrigated perimeter of Sidi Slimane between 2017 and 2021. Urban expansion concentrated near roads and irrigation canals, threatening infrastructure and reducing irrigated agricultural land.
References
Agyemang, F. S. (2020). Urban expansion and the loss of peri-urban land in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Ghana. Land Use Policy, 99, 104850. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104850
AU-LPI (African Union Land Policy Initiative). (2014). Guiding principles on large scale land-based investments in Africa. African Union Commission.
Augustinus, C., & Barry, M. (2006). Land administration in post-conflict societies: A review of the literature and key issues. Urban LandMark.
Benyahya, M., & Madani, M. (2015). Les défis de la planification urbaine au Maroc : Entre normes et réalités. Revue Marocaine de Gestion Urbaine, 7(1), 35–50.
Cotula, L., Toulmin, C., & Hesse, C. (2009). Land tenure and administration in Africa: Lessons of experience and emerging issues. International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED).
Diko, S. K., Asante, L. A., & Donkor, J. A. (2017). Urban sprawl and its impact on peri-urban agricultural lands in Ghana. International Journal of Social Science Studies, 5(4), 62–72. https://doi.org/10.11114/ijsss.v5i4.2236
Durand-Lasserve, A. (2005). Dealing with market evictions: Urban tenure policies in sub-Saharan Africa. In A. Durand-Lasserve & L. Royston (Eds.), Holding their ground: Secure land tenure for the urban poor in developing countries (pp. 1–23). Earthscan.
Enemark, S., Williamson, I., & Wallace, J. (2010). Land administration for sustainable development. ESRI Press Academic.
FAO. (2020). Urbanization and food security in Africa. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Fox, S. (2012). Urbanization as a global historical process: Theory and evidence from sub-Saharan Africa. Population and Development Review, 38(2), 285–310. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2012.00493.x
Home, R. (2015). Land titling and urban development in developing countries: The problem of informal settlements. Land Use Policy, 12(3), 45–58.
Jedwab, R., Christiaensen, L., & Gindelsky, M. (2017). Demography, urbanization and development: Rural push, urban pull and... urban push? Journal of Urban Economics, 98, 6–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jue.2016.05.005
Okpala, D. C. (2009). Regional overview of the status of urban planning and planning practice in Anglophone (Sub-Saharan) African countries. Regional Study for UN-Habitat.
Pieterse, E., & Simone, A. (2013). New urban worlds: Inhabiting disjunctions. Polity Press.
Rakodi, C. (2014). Urban livelihoods: A people-centred approach to reducing poverty. Routledge.
Simon, D., McGregor, D., & Nsiah-Gyabaah, K. (2004). The changing urban–rural interface of African cities: Definitional issues and an application to Kumasi, Ghana. Environment and Urbanization, 16(2), 235–248. https://doi.org/10.1177/095624780401600217
Toulmin, C. (2009). Securing land and property rights in sub-Saharan Africa: The role of local institutions. Land Use Policy, 26(1), 10–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2008.07.006
Ubink, J. M. (2008). In the land of the chiefs: Customary law, land conflicts, and the role of the state in peri-urban Ghana. Leiden University Press.
UN-Habitat. (2022). World Cities Report 2022: Envisaging the Future of Cities. United Nations Human Settlements Programme.
Weng, Q., Liu, H., & Lu, D. (2013). Assessing the effects of urbanization on land use and land cover in African cities using remote sensing and GIS: A case study of Nairobi, Kenya. Remote Sensing of Environment, 86(3), 305–323.
Woldegerima, T., Erena, S. H., & Wagner, W. (2017). Land use/land cover change detection and urban sprawl mapping using remote sensing and GIS in Addis Ababa city, Ethiopia. Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment, 5, 1–9.
Yeboah, I. E. A., & Obeng-Odoom, F. (2010). We are not the only ones to blame: District assemblies’ perspectives on the state of planning in Ghana. Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance, 7, 78–98.
Zezza, A., & Tasciotti, L. (2010). Urban agriculture, poverty, and food security: Empirical evidence from a sample of developing countries. Food Policy, 35(4), 265–273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2010.04.007
World Bank. (2019). Securing Africa’s Land for Shared Prosperity. The World Bank.
Downloads
Published
Versions
- 01-09-2025 (2)
- 01-09-2025 (1)
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Some rights reserved 2025 African Journal on Land Policy and Geospatial Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The African Journal on Land Policy and Geospatial Sciences (AJLP&GS) is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/. Authors with free access retain the copyright of their manuscripts. All open access manuscripts are published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited. The use of general descriptive names, trade names, trademarks, etc. in this publication, even if not specifically identified, does not imply that applicable laws and regulations do not protect these names. Even though the advice and information in this journal are true and accurate as of the date of its publication, neither the authors, the editor, nor the publisher can assume any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions.
