Application of satellite images and GIS to assess the site situation and propose solutions for developing pineapple cultivation in U Minh Thuong, Kien Giang, Vietnam

Abstract

The study was conducted to assess the site situation and propose solutions to develop the cropping area of pineapples in U Minh Thuong (UMT), Kien Giang province. The study used the Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA) classification method to create a map of pineapple cropping in the U Minh Thuong area in 2016. Data on rainfall, soil type, temperature, and water reserves are inherited from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Kien Giang Province and analyzed by the GIS method. Water irrigation in pineapple was estimated based on the formula of Mladen Todorovic, 2016 comparing freshwater reserves in the research region and irrigation water on pineapple, researched spatial distribution map of water response capacity for pineapple. The research results showed that the agricultural area in U Minh Thuong has natural conditions suitable for pineapple cultivation. The size of pineapple cultivation in this area was 4,387.29 ha, the largest in the Vinh Thuan district. The total freshwater reserve in the region varies, where the rainfall is, with the highest volume being 4,546.2 m3/ha (in September 2015) and the lowest 67.7 m3/ha (in March 2016). However, the U Minh Thuong region lacks water in the dry months from January 2016 to April 2016. The amount of water during this period is starved, with watering demand from 2,385 to 2,969 million m3 on the total cultivated area of pineapple. In contrast, the surplus water was quite high in the rainy season, about 2,252 - 27,257 million m3 in Vinh Thuan district in September 2015. The study proposes a solution to store water during the rainy season and use them effectively during the dry season. This solution is compatible with the main pineapple farming habit and model in U Minh Thuong, Kien Giang Province.