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Land cover and crop type mapping of Libya for the period 2022–2023

Year of publication 2025

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 43 p.

Author Dadhich, G.; Nwer, B.; Chenini, F.; Aboelsoud, H.; Jalal, R.; Sarvia, F.; Rodas, C.A.; Abdourahman, M.; Mushtaq, F.; Henry, M.;

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Booklet

To cite or share https://doi.org/10.4060/cd1312en

Synopsis (short abstract) Agriculture in Libya faces significant challenges due to acute water scarcity. The "OSRO/LIB/002/ITA" project aims to enhance the monitoring, evaluation, and rationalization of water usage in the country's agriculture sector. By providing updated information on land cover and crop types, the project supports efficient water management and boosts agricultural productivity. This report presents the results of national land cover and crop type mapping using remote sensing and field data.The land cover map for 2022 classifies Libya into nine categories, including shrubland, grassland, cultivated areas, urban areas, and water bodies, using Sentinel-2 satellite data. Crop type mapping for 2022-2023, based on supervised classification and a field dataset of 750 sampling points, identifies 14 crop types. The analysis reveals natural surfaces dominate Libya, with significant variations in cultivated lands and vegetation across regions. For instance, the West has more cultivated land and tree-dominated areas compared to the East and Fezzan. Fezzan, facing severe arid conditions, has minimal vegetation and water bodies.The crop type mapping results indicate strategic agricultural practices in different regions. In the West, olive trees and vegetable crops are prominent, while the East focuses on cereal cultivation. Fezzan emphasizes water-efficient crops like date palms and barley. The integration of this crop type information with WaPOR (Water Productivity Open-access portal) data can enhance water productivity assessment and optimize irrigation schemes. Recommendations include tailoring water resource allocation to high-productivity areas, optimizing irrigation, encouraging water-efficient crops, investing in water-saving infrastructure, and informing policy with mapped data. Additionally, leveraging Global Agro-Ecological Zones (GAEZ) data can further refine agricultural practices for improved water use efficiency and yield.

Cite this content as:

Dadhich, G., Nwer, B., Chenini, F., Aboelsoud, H., Jalal, R., Sarvia,F., Rodas, C.A., Abdourahman, M., Mushtaq, F., and Henry, M. 2025. Land cover and crop type mapping of Libya forthe period 2022–2023. Rome, FAO.

https://doi.org/10.4060/cd1312en

Language English

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