Abstract
Land evaluation is a process that is aimed at the sustainable development of agricultural production in rural areas, especially in developing countries. Therefore, land evaluation involves many aspects of natural conditions, economic, and social issues. This research was conducted in a hilly region of Central Vietnam to assess the land suitability of potential agricultural land use types that are based on scientific and local knowledge. In the frame of this research, Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA); Analytical Hierarchy Analysis (AHP); Geographic Information System (GIS); and, scoring based scientific literature and local knowledge were applied for Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) for land use evaluation. The results of the PRA survey reveal that five plants offer great agricultural potential in the research area, namely rice, cassava, acacia, banana, and rubber. The land suitability of each plant type varies, depending on physical conditions as well as economic and social aspects. Acacia and cassava represent the most suitable plant types in the research area. Recommendations regarding agricultural land use planning in the A Luoi district are brought forward based on the land evaluation results. The combination of scientific and local knowledge in land assessment based on GIS technology, AHP, and PRA methods is a promising approach for land evaluation.
Highlights
Today’s world population of 7.5 billion is projected to rise to 9.7 billion until 2050 [1]
This research is the first Geographic Information System (GIS)-based multi-criteria land suitability evaluation based on physical, economic, and social conditions, conducted in a hilly district of Central Vietnam. It provides a framework for land evaluation relevant to stakeholders in the district level of Vietnam
Land suitability evaluation can function as a vital planning tool to rationally assess sustainable agricultural practices for a region and enable the prevention of a trial and error process in agricultural land use planning
Summary
Today’s world population of 7.5 billion is projected to rise to 9.7 billion until 2050 [1]. Demographic developments, changing consumption patterns, and climate change are expected to reinforce the pressure on land and to increase the risk of food insecurity, especially in developing countries [2]. While the United Nations, with the second Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), strives to end all forms of hunger and malnutrition until 2030, to date, 793 million people still suffer from undernourishment [3]. The goal of the United Nations can only be achieved if growth agricultural production exceeds population growth through a sustainable intensification of existing, but limited, agricultural land [2]. Land resources are central to agricultural production and inseparably connected with food security [2]. Research regarding land resources should be carried out in a comprehensive way
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
