Land Suitability Assessment Research Articles

STUDI KESESUAIAN LAHAN POHON SERBAGUNA (MPTS) DI KELURAHAN LAYANA INDAH, KECAMATAN MANTIKULORE, KOTA PALU

This research was motivated by the aftermath of the land rehabilitation program with MPTS plants in the Mantikulore District by the Palu City Government. Closely related to efforts to determine land suitability classes for several types of MPTS in Layana Indah Village, Palu City. Land assessment, especially land suitability assessment, becomes important to prevent obstacles that may arise from limitations for plant growth, especially MPTS plants. The research was carried out for seven months, from April to September 2021, in Layana Indah Village, Mantikulore District, Palu City, Central Sulawesi. The field survey method was purposive sampling or carried out deliberately on other use areas in Palu City, Layana Village. Soil samples were taken from Wintu, representing Layana Village, another use area in the development of forest and land rehabilitation programs. In comparison, collecting climate data from the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency of Palu City. Land suitability assessment refers to the Atlas Format Procedure. Suitability indicators for several types of MPTS (durian, breadfruit, mango and jackfruit) are water availability, field slope, drainage, rock outcrops, and effective depth. The research in Layana Indah Sub-District shows the suitability of MPTS land with the limiting factor of dry months.

Land Suitability Assessments for The Palm Plantation (Arenga pinnata L.) As Non-Timber Forest Product Using Geographic Information System

The use of sugar palm plants as a producer of palm sugar, which is a non-timber forest product (NTFP) is considered not optimal and has the potential to be cultivated. Assessing land suitability is necessary for assessing the potential of land resources to provide information and production values. This study aims to analyze land suitability for sugar palm plantations as measured by climate, land physical properties, and a combination of these parameters. The research was conducted in Baru Ranji Village, Merbau Mataram District, South Lampung Regency, using spatial analysis methods through the use of overlay, matching, and scoring techniques through the Geographic Information System (GIS). The results showed that climatic parameters become limiting factors and only shift the level of land suitability and when combined with the physical parameters, the land was suitable for sugar palm cultivation. The use of agroforestry system in social forestry for sugar palm cultivation can increase economic and environmental conservation value. Keywords: Agroforestry, Conservation, Cultivated, Palm sugar, Social Forestry

Framework for integrating multi-criteria decision analysis and geographic information system (MCDA-GIS) for improving slums interventions policies in Cairo, Egypt

Decision analysis is a key aspect in improving slums intervention strategies utilizing a variety of tools to evaluate all relevant information that support decision-making process for dealing with the complexity of slums interventions policies. This paper presents a framework integrating Multi Criterion Decision Analysis (MCDA) with (GIS) based decision support tool to quantitatively assess land suitability for site relocation of an urban slum site utilizing Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), which is commonly used for fastest growing decision-analytic techniques in several disciplines for the determination of various aspects weights. Herein Batn Al Baqara region (which is located in south of Cairo) was selected as study area to be relocated as it was considered among the most difficult to deal with, three proposed relocation sites were selected and analyzed using MCDA-GIS Model. Twelve different criteria were utilized to evaluate the degree of suitability of the relocation sites. A five degree of suitability were employed according to the different criteria scores for each site. The results supported that Al Asmarat is the most suitable site for the relocation of slum since it achieved the highest evaluation score (84.92 %) when the model was applied to the relocation sites.

Land suitability assessment for rapeseed potential cultivation in upper Tigris basin of Turkiye comparing fuzzy and boolean logic

Assessment of land suitability is a prerequisite for the conservation and maintenance of land productivity and the improvement of land use and management systems. This study assessed land suitability for rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) production using topography, climate, and soil data by analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and the Mamdani Fuzzy Inference System (MFIS). The study area covers 3737 km2 of land in the Diyarbakir province of southeastern Turkiye. The weights of topography, soil and climate factors in AHP were determined by expert opinions and the information in related literature. They were included in the whole process, mainly membership functions and rule base stages in the MFIS. The highest weighted factor was slope (0.264), followed by altitude (0.121), annual average temperature (0.114) and soil texture (0.112). The MFIS-based land suitability assessment indicated that the proportions of moderately (S2), marginally (S3) and currently not suitable (N1) land classes in the study area were 71.35%, 18.75% and 9.9%, respectively. The AHP results showed that 98.94% of the land was S3, and 1.06% was N1. The compatibility of AHP and MFIS methods in N1 land units was 96.05%, while the agreement for S2 and S3 land classes was not sufficiently high. The suitability of rapeseed cultivation has been more sensitively assessed by the fuzzy continuous classification obtained by the MFIS method.

Land suitability assessment for wheat-barley cultivation in a semi-arid region of Eastern Anatolia in Turkey.

The efficient use and sustainability of agricultural lands depend heavily on the characteristics of soil resources in a given area, as different soil properties can significantly impact crop growth and yield. Therefore, land suitability studies play a crucial role in determining the appropriate crops for a given area and ensuring sustainable agricultural practices. This study, conducted in Tusba District-Van, Turkey, represents a significant advancement in land suitability studies for wheat-barley cultivation. Using geographic information systems, the analytical hierarchical process method, and the standard scoring function, lands were determined based on the examined criteria for the suitability of wheat-barley cultivation. One of this study's main findings is identifying critical factors that influence the suitability of land for wheat-barley cultivation. These factors include slope, organic matter content, available water capacity, soil depth, cation exchange capacity, pH level, and clay content. It is important to note that slope is the most influential factor, followed by organic matter content and available water capacity. A Soil Quality Index map was produced, and the suitability of wheat-barley production in the studied area was demonstrated. More than 28% of the study area was very suitable for wheat-barley production (S2), and more than was 39% moderately suitable (S3). A positive regression (R2=0.67) was found between soil quality index values and crop yield. The relationship between soil quality index values and crop yield is above acceptable limits. Land suitability assessment can minimize labor and cost losses in the planning and implementation of sustainable ecological and economic agriculture. Furthermore, land suitability classes play an active role in the selection of the product pattern of the area by presenting a spatial decision support system.

Land Suitability Assessment for Pistachio Cultivation Using GIS and Multi-Criteria Decision-Making: A Case Study of Mardin, Turkey.

Site selection for pistachio orchards is an important issue for sustainable agricultural policies, crop productivity, agricultural planning, and communities. This study aims to investigate suitable places for pistachio in the Mardin Province (SE Turkey) by considering several variables, such as meteorological data, topographic conditions, economic factors, and soil characteristics, using Geographic Information System (GIS) and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis. Pistachio farmers, expert opinions, and literature data were used to determine the requirements for pistachio cultivation. Four main assessment criteria (thirteen sub-criteria), sixty value ranges, and fourteen exclusion criteria were determined for the pistachio land suitability assessment. The weighting of the evaluation criteria was calculated using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Farmers and experts have stated that meteorological factors are more important than soil, topography, and economic factors. All data were transferred to the GIS environment, and a land suitability map was created using the weighted linear combination method. The results show that Mardin province has very suitable lands for pistachio cultivation. The resulting map determined that the 228,891.59ha area in Mardin province is very suitable for pistachio. To evaluate the accuracy of the land suitability map generated for pistachio, the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was used. The value of the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated to be 0.806, which indicates that the study is consistent. The created suitability map will be an essential data source for developing sustainable agricultural strategies in the Southeastern Anatolia region.

Land evaluation approaches comparing TOPSIS and SAW with parametric methods for rice cultivation.

Population growth has resulted in an increase in land exploitation on a large scale. Therefore, to increase crop yield and sustainable use of soil, it is necessary to exploit the land according to its potential. Due to land suitability assessment's multifactor nature, it needs a method for evaluating the factors simultaneously; in this case, multi-criteria decision models can be used. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the efficiency of the parametric method (square root) with multi-criteria decision-making approaches (technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) and simple additive weighting (SAW)) for evaluating land suitability in some rice cultivated areas in Khuzestan province, southwest Iran. A total of 28 rice farms were selected in the study area, and a pedon was dug, examined, and sampled in each. Several physicochemical land characteristics were used for the evaluation process, such as soil, climate, and topographical factors. According to the results, soil texture is the main limiting factor for rice farming in the study region, and organic carbon, salinity, and alkalinity ranked next. The range of land index for rice cultivation calculated by the square root method was from 19.3 to 70.9, from 49 to 95.3 by TOPSIS, and from 3.57 to 74.7 by SAW. The calculated explanatory coefficients between the actual yield and land indices for rice products estimated by the square root method, the TOPSIS approach, and the SAW method were 0.44, 0.63, and 0.60, respectively. This result confirms the high accuracy of TOPSIS method compared to SAW and square root methods. TOPSIS is therefore the ideal method for prioritizing options based on the simulation of the ideal answer because it is highly technical and robust in its decision-making approach. Furthermore, it uses the standardization method, equations, mathematical matrices, and suitable weights. Overall, it can be recommended as a suitable efficiency approach for land suitability evaluation.

IMPLEMENTATION OF GIS-AHP-OWA FOR LAND SUITABILITY ASSESSMENT IN INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT PROJECTS: A CASE STUDY IN YUCATÁN, MEXICO

This article presents an approach to land suitability assessment (LSA) that accounts for the opposing interests and viewpoints of multiple stakeholders. LSA is a widely used geospatial technique for locating optimal sites for infrastructure investment. The approach described in this paper uses the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to elicit relative importance weights of a set of geographical attributes, the evaluation of the state of each attribute in spatial units using value functions on a geographic information system (GIS), and the implementation of the Ordered Weighted Average (OWA) as an aggregation operator. The approach is illustrated through the location of potential sites for swine plant investments, taking into consideration environmental conflicts in Yucatán, Mexico. This approach provides a systematic and transparent procedure for analyzing infrastructure projects’ land suitability and developing investment recommendations that promote sustainable development.

Application of landslide susceptibility towards urbanization suitability zonation in mountainous settings

Amplified susceptibility to landslides poses challenges to sustainable and equitable urban development. Thus, in this study, we introduce an artificial intelligence and geographic information system-based approach, urbanization suitability zonation (USZ), for spatial assessment of land suitability for urbanization, which accounts multiple factors, including a focus on landslide susceptibility. Further, the proposed USZ is tailored to assess health of current urbanization patterns, depicting the driving factors behind it by establishing a best-case urbanization suitability (BUS) and weighted urbanization suitability (WUS). The BUS portrays a hypothetically ideal land suitability scenario as a function of equally weighted factors, while the WUS portrays land suitability changes when factors are weighted hierarchically. An examination of current development against the BUS provides idealness of current urbanization patterns. The WUS aids in assessing the significance of factors in influencing the current urbanization pattern, and checks its resemblance with the BUS. The mountainous Indian township of Mussoorie is selected as the study area to exercise the USZ by considering seven factors with different weights, and subsequently generated a BUS map and 7 WUS maps (WUS–I to VII), which all display urbanization suitability distribution in five different classes. The BUS map shows that ∼98 % of current development falls in higher-suitability areas, indicating its preferability. Among the different WUS maps, the WUS-II aligns best with the BUS and current built-up, with slope gradient and transportation connectivity as key factors, and according to it, high-suitability areas are generally the central and south-facing slopes, while north-facing slopes are unsuitable, in general.

Evaluation of land suitability for soybean production using GIS-based multi-criteria approach in Kudan Local Government area of Kaduna State Nigeria

The demand for food production in achieving Sustainable Development Goals, such as poverty eradication and food security and nutrition in developing countries like Nigeria has led to intensive agriculture, resulting in decreased soil quality and environmental challenges. To address these issues, land suitability evaluation plays a crucial role in designing sustainable land use and management systems. This evaluation provides valuable insights for farmers and policymakers to optimize soybean production, enhance crop yield, and promote sustainable agricultural development. The research covers 39,057 ha (ha) and it considers multiple criteria such as soil properties, slope, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and land use/land cover (LULC) of the study area. Soil data and land use/land cover information were obtained and processed using geostatistical techniques and interpolation methods in ArcGIS. An Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was employed to determine the overall importance of the evaluation criteria. This study revealed that 14.14% of the area falls into the moderately suitable class, a significant proportion (83.77%) of the area is marginally suitable for growing soybean, and the remaining proportion (2.09%) is deemed unsuitable. Drainage condition was identified as one of the major limiting factors for soybean cultivation in the region. Management practices such as drainage construction, organic residue incorporation, and appropriate fertilizer application were suggested to improve land suitability. The outcome of this study has shown that integrating RS and GIS techniques in land suitability assessment facilitates evidence-based decision-making and supports effective land use planning for increased agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability.

Adapting the land agricultural suitability assessment scheme for drylands edaphoclimatic conditions

ABSTRACT The rational exploitation of the land requires planning its agricultural use, which can be supported by the agricultural land suitability (ALS) assessment. The scheme to assess ALS proposed by Food Agricultural Organization (FAO) has been adopted in Brazil based on guiding charts for subtropical, humid tropical and semi-arid tropical climate. However, the guiding chart used for the semi-arid region has dramatically limited the ALS in drylands on which rainfed agriculture has been practiced. In this study, an adequation for the ALS assessment regarding the edaphoclimatic conditions of semi-arid region was proposed to improve the representation of agricultural areas and to allow a better planning of soil conservation practices. The ALS of the south region of Ceará State (Brazil) was assessed according to the FAO scheme and its initial adaptation to the Brazilian conditions; subsequently, this assessment was obtained by two adequations. Adequation I disregarded the limiting factor of water availability, while adequation II, besides disregarding the factor of water availability, established new limits for the classes of effective soil depth. The adequations resulted in an increase of 177.19 % in the areas with regular suitability for crops to the detriment of areas with restricted suitability for crops and areas with suitability only for pasture or grazing lands. The adequations increased the agricultural suitability in 41.26 % of the area of the mapping units, and 16.77 % of them were due to the modifications related to the effective soil depth, while the other 26.35 % were due to the changes related to water availability. The results related to water availability were equivalent to those observed through the dynamic analysis of land-use and cover associated with the rainfall, which demonstrated an increase in the areas for rainfed agriculture and a reduction in fallow and pasture areas in the years with rainfall within the climatic normality. The areas considered suitable for crop production with the adequation of the scheme may be included in soil conservation programs.

Land Use Suitability Model for Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) Cultivation Using the Best Worst Method: A Case Study from Ankara/Türkiye

The product of grapes with the highest added value is wine. Wine grapes play an important role in the evaluation of barren lands, where no other plants generally grow. Viticulture in Türkiye is generally conducted on small areas of agricultural land. In order to develop viticulture, it is important to determine suitable areas. This study presents a model for assessing land suitability for cultivation of grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.) in the Ankara region (Türkiye). The aim is to provide a spatial decision support system based on geographic information system multi-criteria assessment, taking into account the perspectives of expert agricultural engineers and local product growers. In this study, 11 criteria were evaluated to determine the most suitable locations for grapevine cultivation. The best worst method was used to calculate the weights of the determined evaluation criteria. When the spatial distribution of the areas suitable for grapevine cultivation was examined from the resulting map produced, it was seen that 1879.29 km2 (7%) of highly suitability areas, 5062.03 km2 (20%) of medium suitability areas, 4706.20 km2 (18%) of low suitability areas, and 8355.36 km2 (33%) of unsuitable areas were detected. According to the results obtained, the southern parts of the study area are more suitable for grapevine cultivation. This study will be an important and useful regional guide for agricultural land use planning and the cultivation of grapevines.

Multi-criteria land suitability assessment for mulberry-based agroforestry using AHP and GIS approach in Anantnag district of the Kashmir valley, India, to achieve sustainable agriculture

Multi-criteria land suitability assessment for mulberry-based agroforestry using AHP and GIS approach in Anantnag district of the Kashmir valley, India, to achieve sustainable agriculture

Agricultural land suitability assessment for sustainable development using remote sensing techniques with analytic hierarchy process

Agricultural land suitability assessment is a significant management technique for ensuring the sustainable utilization of agricultural lands according to their actual potential. It may be possible to manage land resources in a sustainable way by selecting a suitable land use that is compatible with the local ecosystem and socioeconomic conditions. Various suitability assessment methods have been effectively applied for agricultural use, but a different land use suitability level for crop cultivation was evaluated in this study. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to analyze data related to slope, elevation, LULC, soil texture, precipitation, temperature, aspect, distance to river, soil moisture (NDMI), distance to road, and soil ph. These variables, according to the pair wise comparison results, have the most influence on suitability analysis and produce more accurate statistical analysis results. Additionally, spatial analyses were carried out to create the matrix that includes the adopted factors and their weights. The results demonstrate four agricultural land suitability areas: highly suitable (27.5%), moderately suitable (42.8%), marginally suitable (17.6%), and not suitable (12.1%). Suitability zones differ with district areas. An analysis of suitability per district showed that most of the areas are highly and moderately suitable for agriculture. The suitability maps provide an effective resource for decision-making in study regions for agriculture. The aim of the study was to address the demands of agricultural activities with actual land resources to improve production and reduce losses.

Agricultural land suitability assessment with GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis and geostatistical approach in semi-arid regions

For sustainable land use planning, evaluating land characteristics and making suitable land use decisions is a priority and critical step. In order to make these evaluations safely, spatial analyzes of many criteria should be made. In this study, the suitability of the land for wheat production was evaluated by Geographical Information Systems (GIS) based Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) in semi-arid conditions. In obtaining the land suitability map; fuzzy set model, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and GIS are integrated. Ecological criteria weights for agricultural land suitability were determined by AHP. In the suitability analysis, a total of criteria including soil and topographic features were evaluated. Geostatistical analysis approach was applied to determine the spatial variability of soil properties (sand, clay, silt, pH, OM, CEC, ESP, CaCO3, EC). The lowest variation among soil properties was observed in pH (3.8%), while the largest variation was observed in ESP content (107.5%). The nugget/sill ratio is poor for EC and pH, while other soil properties are moderately spatially dependent. According to the results of the analysis, 25.7% (3.226 km2) of the area is highly suitable, while 27.6% (3.457 km2) is moderately suitable and 19.5% (2.440 km2) is marginally suitable for wheat cultivation. In addition, 27.2% (3.415 km2) of the area is not suitable for agricultural production. The use of geostatistical modeling, MCDA and GIS together is very beneficial in making agricultural land management decisions.

Land suitability in sustainable cultivation practices for porang (Amorphophallus oncophyllus L.) in Pasuruan Regency, Indonesia

Porang (Amorphophallus oncophyllus L.) stands as a prominent agricultural product in Indonesia. As the demand for porang continues to grow, it becomes crucial to balance it with the expansion of suitable land for cultivation. The selection of appropriate land for crop planting requires a thorough analysis of land feasibility, commonly known as land suitability assessment. This study aims to evaluate land feasibility, identify limiting factors, and explore potential solutions for sustainable cultivation of porang in Sumberejo Village, Pasuruan, East Java. The research was employed by a matching method for land suitability assessment based on climatic, physical, and chemical data. The development of a land suitability map was achieved through the overlay of various stages using land characteristic information. The findings reveal that the residents' lands fall within the actual land classes of S3 (suitable marginal) and N (not suitable), with base saturation (nr3) and slope (eh) identified as the primary limiting factors. To improve the suitability of the selected lands, several recommendations were proposed, including the implementation of cover crops, terracing practices, and the addition of potassium-rich organic matter derived from bamboo waste. These recommendations have the potential to elevate the land class to S2 (suitable) and S3 (suitable marginal), thereby addressing the identified limitations and promoting sustainable porang cultivation.

Climate and soil suitability zonation for Litchi (Litchi chinensis) in India using geo-science tool-based analytical hierarchy process

Litchi (Litchi chinensis) plantations in new areas without any land suitability assessment putting small farmers at risk of economic loss. The unique capability of the Geographical information system (GIS) for integration, analysis, and interpretation of spatial data has been leveraged for the identification, and mapping of potential litchi cultivation zones in India to help farmers and policymakers make informed decisions. Five climate-derived parameters including the number of days per year having a minimum temperature <12 °C (CumD-Tmin < 12), number of days per year having a minimum temperature <0 °C (CumD-Tmin < 0), number of days per year having a mean temperature <20 °C (CumD-Tmean < 20), highest daily maximum temperature (°C) (Thmax) and average annual rainfall (mm), and eight soil parameters viz. soil depth, clay content, slope, stoniness, drainage conditions, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic carbon were identified as suitability parameters. Geospatial data at a grid 0.1° × 0.1° of all the identified climate parameters and spatial layers of eight soil data were analysed using Arc-GIS 10.2. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was used for assigning relative weightage to the suitability parameters. Using the weighted sum of feature layers, a climate suitability map, a soil suitability map and finally a litchi cultivation potential zones (LCPZs) map were developed. The northward shift of the suitability zone is indicated under climate change projections. The new approach of identifying suitability parameters in relation to the plant’s requirement and its integration in GIS using AHP can be extended to other crops and regions.

Land Suitability Assessment for Wheat Production Using Analytical Hierarchy Process and Parametric Method in Babylon Province

Land Suitability Assessment for Wheat Production Using Analytical Hierarchy Process and Parametric Method in Babylon Province

Assessment of farmers’ preferences for growing particular crops and the correlation with land suitability

The success of agricultural operations is highly dependent on the site selected, which affects sustainability, and it is important to solve problems associated with activities and efficient land use. However, many researchers have selected sites based solely on climate and soil characteristics and have ignored farmer preferences, which has resulted in the failure to meet sustainable agriculture goals, and a proper strategy is therefore required to anticipate related problems. This study was conducted to: (1) analyze plantation development priorities based on the hierarchy of farmers’ preferences, (2) identify the relationship between successful plantations, climate, and soil fertility. The attributes employed to assess farmers’ preferences included price, production, and price stability over the past five years, while annual rainfall, annual temperature, and soil fertility were used to assess land suitability. Farmers’ preferences were analyzed using the discrete choice experiment (DCE) method, and land suitability was analyzed using the fuzzy method. The farmer preference analysis showed that coffee was the priority crop of farmers in most of the research areas, and cocoa was the lowest cultivation priority. Coffee had a higher land suitability index than other plants, ranging from 0.62 to 0.92, and it was dominant within the optimal suitability class. Clove, pepper, and cocoa plants belonged to the moderate land suitability class with indexes of 0.6–0.91, 0.56–0.88, and 0.4–0.86 for pepper, clove, and cocoa, respectively. A regression analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between the priority of cultivated plants based on farmers’ preference and land suitability, and a positive relationship (moderate strength) was determined. These research results show that when selecting priority crops, 21% of farmers’ decisions are influenced by land suitability.

ASSESSMENT OF LAND SUITABILITY AND CAPABILITY BY INTEGRATING REMOTE SENSING AND GIS FOR AGRICULTURE IN POTWAR REGION PAKISTAN

Abstract. The assessment of land suitability and capability to reduce the anthropogenic pressure on is significant for the agricultural yield management in rainfed Potwar Region Pakistan. This study examines phases of wheat growth using Landsat-8 thermal bands and temperature based site maps, and demarcates suitable sites in potwar region for sustainable crops through Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE), Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), python and geospatial techniques. The total investigation area was 22168 km2 out of which 12256 km2 (55%) declared highly suitable, 2998 km2 (13%) was moderately suitable, 4843 km2 (22%) was less suitable and 2069 km2 (10%) was found not suitable for wheat crop cultivation (WCC). The results indicated that the areas having temperature ranging between 10–18 °C, pH between 6.2–6.5 and clay loom soil type with drainage level 0.85–1.1 corresponds to extremely suitable for wheat production. Various land quality factors; that is slope, flooding, soil texture, erosion, depth and coarser bits under different land-units were assessed for the crops. Consequently, all these factors were combined to make an integrated land suitability and capability (LSC) map for each landuse and suitable soils for agricultural productions. It is concluded that better landuse practices can be implemented to enhance the suitable agricultural sites.