Libya's Soil Resources and Their Potential for Sustained Agricultural Production

In the 1960s a number of agricultural development projects were started in the coastal zones of the western and eastern regions. In the 1970s ambitious development projects were initiated in the desert in the south in the Fezzan and at Kufra and Sarir. It is impossible to give a direct correlation between soil names under different schemes of classification, on account of the different criteria used in various schemes at different levels in the classification. Informed decision-making in rural and urban planning, feasibility and design studies in agricultural development projects, and many engineering works all of these important activities can only be successful where there is a sound understanding of the soils which are being utilized. To achieve this understanding, a thorough survey of Libya&s;s soil resource base is vital.