Abstract
The economic evaluation of a land parcel is mainly based on the local economy, as well as on the topography, distance to the main streets, distance to the river, and presence of irrigation. Spatial variability of soil features and functionalities are often left behind during economic land evaluation, probably due to a scarce awareness of soil function’s economic value. The paper shows an approach for economic land evaluation of irrigated croplands in the Po River plain (Northern Italy), based on spatial variability of soil functions, namely biomass production and carbon sequestration, as well as taking into account the river flood risk. The soil spatial variability was mapped using proximal sensing technology and few calibration points (one every 5 hectares). Biomass production of the main crops of the area, namely maize, soybean, and sorghum, was monitored and mapped for three years (2016, 2017, and 2018) using precision agriculture technologies. The results showed that the available water capacity (AWC) reached the highest correlation with biomass production, additionally, soil texture and cation exchange capacity were significantly correlated. Economic evaluation of the land parcels was computed considering the mean land market value of the area, the site-specific deviations due to the spatial variability of the biomass production by capitalization rate, and carbon sequestration soil functions, applying a natural capital approach by the mean annual value of the carbon market. This site-specific methodology could be applied to many other arable lands.
Highlights
Land evaluation is the process of the assessment of land performance for specific purposes [1], based on morphological, climatic and pedological characteristics
The methodology used in this work allowed for an assessment of the economic land evaluation at a high detail of irrigated croplands in the Po River Plain, taking into account the soil functions of biomass production and carbon stock, as well as land depreciation due to elevated flood risk
The results of this work showed that:. Soil features and their associated functions can strongly vary within a land parcel and, in general, within a farm
Summary
Land evaluation is the process of the assessment of land performance for specific purposes [1], based on morphological, climatic and pedological characteristics. Predictions of the use potential of the land are made about the expected performance of several different land uses on each land mapping unit in a project area. These predictions should be useful for rational land-use planning. Land evaluation for the purpose of regional or local planning is a fundamentally strategic tool and does not pretend to analyze the economic value of the land [2]. All land evaluation criteria start from the physical data (soil, climate, morphology, etc.) characterizing a homogeneous area or map unit. Map delineation is based on the available informative strata, like soil maps and/or other thematic
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