Use of Geoprocessing in Identification of Areas Suitable for the Implementation of Center Pivot Irrigation in the District of Mossurrize, in Republic of Mozambique

Abstract

With population growth, there is an increase in the demand for food, making irrigation an important technology for this purpose. Therefore, planning, and technical knowledge of environmental variables are essential for the implementation of irrigation, facilitated by geoprocessing techniques, which can help in decision-making, mainly due to the ability and ease of working large areas. The objective of this study is to analyze areas with potential for the implementation of a center pivot irrigation system in the district of Mossurrize. The analysis was carried out using geoprocessing tools through QGIS 2.3.20.0 and ArcGIS software. The methodology considers the combined analysis of different information plans to generate a synthesis map. The information plan variables were reclassified with weights from 1 to 9, demonstrating the influence of each element on the considered phenomenon. Then the variable maps were submitted to weighted analysis. The tools for spatial analysis through geoprocessing proved to be efficient in the manipulation and integration of the data used to identify and quantify the areas suitable for the implantation of a center pivot irrigation system and may be a viable alternative for decision making.