Change in the areas of land planted with cereal crops for the period (2013 - 2023) in Babylon Governorate

Abstract

This research studies the change in the areas of agricultural lands invested in the cultivation of grain crops in Babylon Governorate for the period (2013-2023) based on the equation of the percentage of change to show the variation in the percentages of change (positive or negative) between one crop and another, in addition to showing the spatial variation of this change between one administrative unit and another.

Change means the transformation from one state to another, and this transformation may be negative or positive. The study of changes in the areas of agricultural lands is one of the important studies in scientific research, as it is concerned with studying the important natural resources in human life, the most important of which is the agricultural land from which he obtains his food. Due to the large increase in the population size and the accompanying increase in urban expansion at the expense of agricultural lands, interest in studying the changes that occur in the areas of agricultural lands has become a necessity to preserve them and to confront the obstacles that lead to the reduction of agricultural land areas and to find solutions and alternatives to preserve agricultural land and invest it in the optimal way that ensures its sustainability.

This research dealt with the change in the areas of land planted with cereal crops in Babylon Governorate to identify the most important reasons that led to the change, whether negative or positive, and to find solutions to improve the reality of growing these important crops and to preserve these invested areas of land to ensure the preservation of agricultural land, the most important and indispensable natural resource. The governorate consists of sixteen administrative units that include four districts, namely Hillah District with its sub-districts (District Center, Abu Ghraq, and Al-Kifl), Al-Mahawil District with its sub-districts (District Center, Al-Mashrou', Al-Imam, and Al-Nil), Al-Musayyab District with its sub-districts (District Center, Alexandria, Al-Hindiya, and Jurf Al-Sakhr), and Al-Hashimiyah District with its sub-districts (District Center, Al-Qasim, Al-Shomali, Al-Tali'ah, and Al-Madhatiyah).