Between Concrete and Crops: A Geo-Spatial and Qualitative Analysis of Ecological and Social Costs of Peri-Urban Growth in Khulna

Abstract

Farmland decrease is a global phenomenon which is largely observed in peri-urban areas of a city. To explain the pattern and process of rapid urban transformation led impacts on farmers of Jalma Union of Khulna, this study followed a mixed method strategy. Using the state of art methodology, this study identified the pattern and process of sprawl from year 2011 to 2025 using a supervised classification algorithm, Random Forest in Google Earth engine platform. Furthermore, spatial
analysis is conducted to identify the major urbanization impact zones. In qualitative part, field observations in terms of semi-structures interviews, discussion sessions with farmers, local residence, local elites, scholars provided valuable insights about
the impacts (mostly negative) of peri-urbanization and policy discourses. Findings show that, peri-urbanization in Khulna is drastically changing the rural landscape over the last decade where it consumed around 1572 hectares of farmland between 2011-2025. Ecological cost of urban sprawl is staggering as it has caused a total decline of ecosystem value worth 3.83 million US $ ha-1yr-1 between 2011 and 2025, while losing of US $ 8.67 million in farmland. The interviews and discussions with the diverse respondents revealed five major themes persist in Jalma union related to rapid decline of farmland: land loss, displacement, land value inflation, water scarcity, and social segregation. Peri-urbanization in Jalma represents a “path dependent” urban expansion characterized by institutional vacuum and speculative growth. Therefore, this study calls for robust, enforceable zoning regulations, equitable land-use planning, and targeted interventions that safeguard the rights and well-being of farming communities.