Spatial analysis of urban garden space production in relation to rural land use: A case study of Zanjan City

The present study examines land use pattern changes from a food security perspective. In this study, Landsat series satellite images were classified using R software, applying two different classification methods: Neural network and random forest. These methods were applied to satellite images from five different years – 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020. The findings indicate a growing trend in Garden City development, driven by the conversion of barren lands and pastures into gardens and arboretums. This transformation can have both potential positive and negative impacts on the region’s physical and environmental indicators. In addition, the expansion of urban and industrial spaces has been one of the primary causes of natural vegetation loss. Furthermore, an analysis of land cover changes from 2000 to 2020 using IDRISI TerrSet software revealed that a significant portion of barren land was converted into tree plantation. This shift is in line with the expansion of Garden City activities in the studied area, particularly in the past decade.