THE URBAN SPRAWL ON AGRICULTURAL LANDS IN GHARBIA GOVORNORATE

This study focuses on the evolution of urban encroachment on arable land in Egypt. There are three forms of encroachment on arable land. The first type is the removal of the fertile topsoil of agricultural land for the main purpose of bricks manufacturing. The second type is the setting aside of arable land and letting the land go unproductive for long time periods. The third type is the permanent conversion of arable land to buildings. The total acreage lost to encroachment from January 25, 2011 revolution till November 18, 2018 is about 85 thousands feddans of fertile land.  The first type of topsoil removal constitutes 7.7 percent of the total lost acreage .While setting aside of arable land constitutes 35.5 percent and the conversion of arable land to buildings constitutes 57.8 percent of total land lost to encroachment . Rapid population growth is the main driver for accelerating encroachment on arable land in Egypt. This is especially evident in the governorates that are not endowed with desert backyard. Gharbeya governorate is a good example of densely populated regions with no desert backyard that could be used for urban expansion. The study  reveals that population in Gharbeya grew during the period 2006-2017 with an annually rate of 2.1 percent.  While cultivated area and cropped area declined with an annual rate of 1006 feddans and 2992 feddans respectively during the same time period. The continued encroachment on agricultural land is a major threat to Egypt’s food security due to the limited base of arable land in Egypt. In fact per capita share of arable land is declining very rapidly over the years. For example, the ratio of population to arable land increased from 10.4 in 2006 to 15.4 in 2017. The country is attempting to make up for the lost land through reclamation of desert land. Unfortunately, reclamation of desert land is very expensive endeavor and requires major investment in basic infrastructure such as roads, irrigation networks, power grids, and social infrastructure. Therefore it is of utmost importance for the government to pay due attention to the problem of urban encroachment on old arable land and devise policies and legislations that would put a brake on this phenomena .