Land suitability assessment for oil palm plantations in Thailand

Abstract

Oil palm plantations have been expanded in all regions of Thailand during the past decade to support the higher consumption of palm oil for food and fuel. It is, however, imperative to expand in those areas that have soil quality suitable for oil palm cultivation. Therefore, this study aimed to assess land suitability for the different regions of Thailand where oil palm is being cultivated. The suitability is justified by two aspects, viz., soil quality and remaining suitable areas. The Land Use Indicator Value Calculation in Life Cycle Assessment (LANCA®) method was used for the assessment. The results demonstrated that the soil quality in the southern region was most suitable for oil palm cultivation. Although this region has a lower availability of plantation areas as compared to the other regions, it is still enough to satisfy the forecasted oil palm expansion areas. Meanwhile, although the northeastern region ranked second in terms of appropriate soil quality, it may not be appropriate for oil palm due to the low groundwater regeneration. Hence, it is also important to look at the individual properties contributing to soil quality rather than deciding only on the basis of one aggregated indicator.