World’s Soil Resources

The main causes of soil problems in Jordan are: (i) improper farming practices, such as failure to use contour
ploughing, or over-cultivation of the land; (ii) overgrazing; (iii) the conversion of rangelands to croplands in
marginal areas where rainfall is insufficient to support crops in the long term; and (iv) uncontrolled expansion
of urban and rural settlement at the cost of cultivable land.
Urban populations are growing at 8 percent a year as opposed to just 1 percent in rural areas. In some
countries of the region nearly the whole population is urban (e.g. Kuwait, 97 percent; Bahrain, 90 percent;
Saudi Arabia, 83 percent; and United Arab Emirates, 84 percent). This high rate of urbanization has been
accompanied by conversion of agricultural lands into urban areas. In Libya, over 25 percent of highly fertile
lands have been taken over by the expansion of urban areas.
The rapid urban population growth in the region increases the pressure on the natural resources (AOAD,
2004). An example of dramatic urban expansion is found in Lebanon where a study by Darwish and Khawlie
(2004) showed that during the period from 1962 to 2000, urban areas expanded by 208 percent while
agricultural lands decreased by 35 percent. Much of the area converted to settlements was highly productive
agricultural land on Fluvisols, Luvisols and Cambisols. Some 32 percent of class 1 (prime land) and 26 percent of
class 2 land were converted into urban areas.
Urban Area (SQKM)
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000
Saudi Arabia
Kazakhstan
Iraq
Algeria
Egypt
Syria
Morocco
Libya
Tunisia
Israel
Jordan
Yemen
Lebanon
United Arab Emirates
Kuwait
Qatar
West Bank
Oman
Bahrain
Gaza Strip
Western Sahara
20
15
10 5 0
Urbanization index (%)
Figure 13.2 Extent of the urban areas and Urbanization Indexes for the Near East and North African countries. Source: Schneider,
Friedl and Potere, 2009.
Status of the World’s Soil Resources | Main Report Regional Assessment of Soil Changes
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in the Near East and North Africa