Assessing Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) Change and Factors Affecting Agricultural Land: Case Study in Battambang Province, Cambodia

Abstract

This study analyzed land use and land cover (LULC) change from 1998 to 2018 in Battambang, Cambodia, and determined factors and constraints affecting agricultural production. Landsat satellite images in 1998, 2008, and 2018 were used to identify the changes in LULC. In combination, a social survey was conducted in August 2021 using purposive sampling, selecting a total sample of 200 from two wealth classes: the poor (65) and the better off (135) based on the Cambodia poverty assessment by the World Bank, from uplands to lowlands of Battambang Province, Cambodia. Household characteristics, farm size, and constraints were compared between the classes. T-tests, the analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Likert scale analysis were adopted using the R Program and RStudio, while Pearson's correlation test was used to determine the factors affecting agricultural land. The results show that between 1998 and 2018, the forest cover decreased by 79%. In contrast, agricultural land expansion was the highest (54%). The average household size and age of the respondents were 5.0 persons/household and 50.1 years, respectively. Of all the interviewees, about 80% attended no higher than primary school. The total farm size of the better-off (7.0 ha/household) was larger than that of the poor (5.2 ha/household). The population growth, machinery use, and improved infrastructure were found to be positive and strongly related to agricultural land use. The highest constraints of the poor and the better-off households were the same: chemical fertilizer use. Then, drought and flooding were also challenges for all. In terms of land, credit, and labor, they were not the main constraints. Thus, it is recommended that the involvement of interdisciplinary stakeholders and policy frameworks is really important from both biophysical and social perspectives.