Historical analysis of landscape change using remote sensing techniques: An explanatory tool for agricultural transformation in Greek rural areas

The role of agricultural change in transforming Greek rural landscapes is analysed within the broader context and theory of agricultural transition from traditional to productivist and post-productivist regimes. The analysis is based on remote sensing data following a case study approach in two study sites – Tymfi and Konitsa – located in the Epirus mountain area. Vegetation maps were created for 1945, 1969 and 1995 via ‘object oriented image analysis’ of a series of air-photographs. A number of landscape metrics was then calculated for each map and the interpreted spatial analysis illustrates that the observed landscape changes are linked to agricultural restructure. During the post war period when agriculture in Western Europe had entered a productivist phase, agricultural change was marked by trends of agricultural abandonment predominantly evident in the upland areas. In contrast, farming persisted at the lowlands and the gradual aggregation of crop fields in few large patches, indicates the existence of productivist agriculture. This landscape transformation suggests that productivist agriculture and land abandonment can coexist in a spatially differentiated pattern. Although since the mid-1980s, the rationale of agricultural policy priorities shifted towards post-productivism, the findings of this study do not support the existence of such a transition. The results are further discussed within the broader context of agricultural change in Europe providing an additional dimension to the discussions regarding the spatio-temporal properties of agricultural transition. Understanding the process of agricultural change could enhance the role of agricultural policy as a tool for landscape management and regional planning.