Promoting sustainable agricultural management through spatio temporal optimization of food crop land based on pedo-agroclimate at Kalalasi region, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia

Abstract

The purposes of this research were to: (1) analyze the suboptimal land availability and its suitability for food crops; (2) to identify the major and prime food crops; (3) analyze the socio-cultural and economic characteristics of farmers in order to develop local based climate change adaptation strategy and to prioritize major food crops using multi-criteria approach; (4) to promote sustainable crop and land management, through the local specific technologies dealing with the constraints of the Kalalasi Region. As regional based study, this research used overlaid maps of thematic lands, undertaken on suboptimal-land area with dry-climate at Kalalasi Region, Southeast Sulawesi. This study employed a spatial analysis method using GIS. Data collection included data on land biophysics, climate, and farming-based socio-culture and economic, using biophysical and social economic survey method. Land evaluation was carried out using FAO method. The major food crops were identified and analyzed using LQ method. Then, Multi-Criteria Decision Method (MCDM) through an application of AHP was used to promote sustainable crop and land management at the Kalalasi Region. The results of this research showed that: (1) Kalalasi Region had relatively varied characteristics of land biophysic, climate, socio-culture and economic, (2) Potential land availability for the development of food crops was ha, where the land suitability level of S2 (moderately suitable) of ha, S3 (marginally suitable) of ha, and the rest was N1 and N2, (3) there were eight major food crops in the research area, namely: maize, cassava, upland rice, soy bean, sweet potato, ground nut, green bean, and paddy rice, (4) prime or excellent food crops in research area were varied among regions (sub-districts), however, in general, it was concluded that there were four prime food crops, namely: cassava, maize, upland rice, and paddy rice, (5) productive and sustainable crop pattern and land management can be achieved through the application of multiple cropping system, planting diversification, and appropriate planting date for the period of December, January, February, and March, using drought resistant cultivar, and several other efforts for adaptation and conservation, such as mulching and cover crops, to deal with climate change. These were conducted to maintain the land and crop productivity, and the sustainable food availability.