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

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.

本研究针对柬埔寨马德望省1998年至2018年的土地利用与土地覆被（Land Use and Land Cover, LULC）变化展开分析，并明确了影响农业生产的因素与制约因素。研究采用1998年、2008年及2018年的Landsat卫星影像识别土地利用与土地覆被变化。与此同时，本研究于2021年8月开展社会调查，采用目的抽样法，依据世界银行（World Bank）的柬埔寨贫困评估标准，从马德望省的高地至低地区域，选取两个财富层级的共200个样本：贫困群体（65户）与富裕群体（135户）。本研究对两组家庭的家庭特征、农场规模及制约因素开展对比分析，采用R程序与RStudio开展t检验、方差分析（Analysis of Variance, ANOVA）以及李克特量表分析，并使用皮尔逊相关检验明确影响农业用地的相关因素。研究结果显示，1998年至2018年间，该区域森林覆盖率下降79%。与之相对，农业用地扩张幅度最大，达54%。受访家庭的平均规模与受访者的平均年龄分别为每户5.0人及50.1岁。在所有受访者中，约80%的受教育程度不超过小学。富裕群体的户均农场规模为7.0公顷，高于贫困群体的5.2公顷。研究发现，人口增长、机械使用与基础设施完善与农业用地使用呈显著正相关。贫困与富裕家庭面临的首要制约因素均为化肥使用问题，干旱与洪涝同样是全体受访群体面临的共同挑战。而土地、信贷与劳动力并未成为主要制约因素。据此，本研究建议，从生物物理与社会双重视角出发，吸纳跨学科利益相关者参与并构建政策框架具有重要意义。