An approach to land capability evaluation for agriculture using remote sensing and GIS in Barberspan, North West Province of South Africa

Abstract

To guarantee food security, job creation and graduate small-scale farmers to commercial farmers, unproductive farms in the North West Province that have resulted from the land reform programme need to be restructured and evaluated for agricultural productivity. This study aimed to assess the land capability of redistributed land using remote sensing and GIS in spatial planning for arable agriculture in a communal land use setting. The primary data were obtained from soil samples collected from 0–100 cm depths. The secondary information was acquired from the remotely sensed data (SPOT 5). Soil properties such as soil texture, soil depth, pH and drainage condition were stored as attributes in a geographical soil database and linked with the soil map units. The physical characteristics and environmental parameters of Barberspan farm were integrated using spatial analyses function in ArcGIS to produce a land capability map. This land capability study was intended for post-settlement support to land reform beneficiaries and other small-scale farmers who are generally left to look out for themselves after transfer of ownership.