A Land Evaluation Framework for Agricultural Diversification

Ebrahim Jahanshiri,Ayman Salama Mohamed,Peter J Gregory,Sayed N Azam-Ali,Eranga M Wimalasiri,Tengku Adhwa Syaherah Tengku Mohd Suhairi,Nur Marahaini Mohd Nizar

doi:10.3390/su12083110

Ebrahim Jahanshiri, Ayman Salama Mohamed + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su12083110

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Journal: Sustainability	Publication Date: Apr 13, 2020
Citations: 21	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus

Abstract

Shortlisting ecologically adaptable plant species can be a starting point for agricultural diversification projects. We propose a rapid assessment framework based on an ecological model that can accelerate the evaluation of options for sustainable crop diversification. To test the new model, expert-defined and widely available crop requirement data were combined with more than 100,000 occurrence data for 40 crops of different types (cereals, legumes, vegetables, fruits, and tubers/roots). Soil pH, texture, and depth to bedrock data were obtained and harmonised based on the optimal rooting depths of each crop. Global baseline temperature and rainfall data were used to extract averages at each location. To evaluate the ability of the method to capture intraspecies variation, a test was performed using more than 1000 accession records of bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) as an exemplar underutilised crop. Results showed that a suitability index based on soil pH and an index that combines the thermal suitability moderated by the soil pH, texture, and depth suitability have the potential to predict crop adaptability. We show that the proposed method can be combined with traditional land use and crop models to evaluate diversification options for sustainable land and agrobiodiversity resources management.

Highlights

A major barrier to diversification of agriculture is the lack of knowledge about the potential suitability of neglected and underutilised crops [1,2]
Land suitability assessment programs are often executed at different scales and harmonising the data inputs and results in a way that is useful for decision making is challenging
Some locations fell outside the ranges defined by expert knowledge, it was evident that the within species variation of bambara groundnut could be reliably represented by these expert-defined thresholds when compared with the known distribution of the crop as compiled from Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database (FAOSTAT) [36]

Summary

Introduction

A major barrier to diversification of agriculture is the lack of knowledge about the potential suitability of neglected and underutilised crops [1,2]. Many methods have been devised to describe crop suitability as a function of land biophysical processes at limited spatial scales; a few have included considerations of economic and social externalities [6]. These land system models often lack robustness in methodology and the data to be used for minor crops. The application of fuzzy-threshold methods has improved the development of these techniques, as detailed comparison between many options can be explained quantitatively [10] This method has been used to address environmental and spatial planning issues, but its application in enhancing land-use decisions has not been fully explored. Addition of climate information to the data used in these methods requires more investigation

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