Agricultural Land Suitability Research Articles

Using GIS Tools and Remote Sensing Data to Assessment of Land Capability and Suitability for Agriculture in New Aswan Area, Aswan Governorate, Egypt

Using GIS Tools and Remote Sensing Data to Assessment of Land Capability and Suitability for Agriculture in New Aswan Area, Aswan Governorate, Egypt

Agricultural land suitability analysis in Manipur, India using GIS and AHP

This article aims to identify potential sites for agricultural use in the state of Manipur of north east India by employing the analytic hierarchy process in a geographic information system environment in conjunction with the use of remote sensing and soil data. Within the analytic hierarchy process, each terrain variable underwent a pairwise comparison and criteria weights were assigned according to their relative importance. Eight variables were selected and used in land suitability analysis for agriculture. It was found that Manipur had 57% (12,660 km2) of its total geographical area suitable for agriculture. However, 8126 km2 (37%) and 1374 km2 (6%) of the total geographical area was currently and permanently unsuitable land respectively. The distribution of suitable land varied greatly, with highly, moderately and marginally suitable land covering only 8%, 16% and 33% respectively of the total geographical area. The highly suitable agricultural land is predominantly concentrated in the Imphal valley (70%), though 90% of moderately suitable and 96% of marginally suitable land also exist in the hills. The hilly areas constitute 96% and 97% respectively of currently unsuitable and permanently unsuitable land in the state. Suitable land comprises of land with low to medium altitude, gentle to moderate slopes, soil of fine or acceptable quality, and with minimal flood risk. Unsuitable lands tend to be diametrically opposite to these attributes with steep hill slopes. The nature of distribution of land suitability types influences the agricultural pattern in Manipur. Agriculture in the hill areas comprises mainly of shifting cultivation on hill slopes, whereas in the valley region it is irrigated and permanent. This analysis of Manipur has a wider applicability since the shifting cultivation-irrigated agriculture combination is similar to that which exists across much of the highlands of South East Asia.

Application of GIS in land unit mapping and evaluation of land suitability for agriculture in Uong Bi district – Quang Ninh province

This study aims to apply Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in land unit mapping and the evaluation of land suitability for agriculture in Uong Bi District, Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam. Given the complex and spontaneous changes in land usage driven by market fluctuations and environmental challenges, assessing land quality becomes crucial for sustainable agricultural development. Integrating soil, topographic, and climatic data within a GIS framework led to the creation of land unit maps for 40 different units in Uong Bi district, classified based on soil type, slope, soil depth, soil fertility, and hydrological conditions. The assessment of land suitability for seven main crops, including Litchi, Citrus, Dragon fruit, Cinnamon, Vegetables, Pine, and Macca, was conducted using the FAO framework for land evaluation. The results indicate that Pine and Cinamon have the highest arable area across all crops (with 15,895.40 ha and 15,502.40 ha respectively) while Vegetables show the lowest total arable area (4,063 ha). The findings provide valuable insights into the suitability of land for specific crops, facilitating informed decision-making to optimize land use and improve agricultural production.

Rancang Bangun Sistem Informasi Penyewaan dan Rekomendasi Lahan Pertanian Menggunakan Metode KNN

Agriculture plays a crucial role in the economy of Indonesia, particularly in Kampar Regency, Riau Province. The agricultural, forestry, and fisheries sectors serve as the backbone in forming the Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP), making a significant contribution to the national economy. However, farmers in Karya Indah Village face challenges in finding and renting agricultural land that meets their needs. To address this challenge, the development of a web-based agricultural land rental information system is essential. This research aims to design a web-based information system using the K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) algorithm to provide recommendations for agricultural land suitable for farmers' needs. This system facilitates farmers in finding and renting suitable agricultural land, while landowners can efficiently offer their land for rent. The research not only aims to improve efficiency in the process of renting agricultural land but also to enhance agricultural productivity and farmers' income. The research findings indicate that the KNN method can provide accurate recommendations for agricultural land, thus helping to improve farmers' welfare and the overall sustainability of the agricultural sector. The research findings show that the KNN method can recommend agricultural land with an accuracy rate of 80%.

Ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in tea plantation soil around Tai Lake region in Suzhou, China

Tea plant [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] is one of the important foliar cash crops in China, and its root system absorbs heavy metal (HM) elements enriched in the soil and transports them to the over ground part. In order to ensure the safety of the soil ecological environment and tea raw materials in the tea production area, the HM contents of soil and tea plant leaves in Suzhou tea plantations were detected, the relationship between HMs and soil physicochemical properties was analyzed, and the ecological risk of HMs in tea plantation soils was evaluated by using relevant detection techniques and evaluation models. The results showed that the average pH of tea plantation soils around Tai Lake in Suzhou was within the range suitable for the growth of tea plants. The pH, soil organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorus and available potassium of tea plantation soil satisfying the requirements of high quality, high efficiency and high yield (‘3H’) tea plantation accounted for 47.06%, 26.47%, 8.82%, 79.41% and 67.65%, respectively. Site 2 fully met the requirements of ‘3H’ tea plantation. In addition, the contents of cadmium (Cd) and mercury (Hg) were extremely variable, and the average contents exceeded the background value of soil in Jiangsu Province, but the HM contents of tea leaves all met the pollution-free standard, and the HM contents of tea leaves around Tai Lake in Suzhou were generally at a safe level. The composite ecological risk index ranged from 0.05 to 0.60, and 32 of the 34 sample sites (except site 21 and site 23) are the most suitable agricultural land for tea plantations.

Assessment of agricultural land suitability for cereal crops based on the analysis of soil physico-chemical characteristics

This research aimed at evaluation of a given land resource suitable for selected rain fed crops production (malt barley, wheat and teff) in Ambesh watershed. It also quantified suitable land and classified into the land mapping units (LMUs), and presents a land suitability map. Land suitability assessment (LSA) made using climatic condition, topography, soil physical and chemical properties as a major factor integrated with a multi criteria decision making (MCDM) analysis in Ambesh watershed. Fourteen composite soil samples were taken by categorizing the watershed into different land mapping units (LMUs) and analyzed in a soil laboratory. Climatic data, rainfall was obtained from two meteorological stations nearby to the study area. Temperature data derived from Landsat 8 satellite thermal bands data. Data obtained from the soil laboratory and others were finally analyzed using ArcGIS environment and priority estimation tool (PriEsT) software’s. Weighted Sum Overlay was implemented to investigate the final LSA map of the watershed. Results revealed that LMUs, VRe–LPq and LPK.Pq–FLc LMUs has higher overall suitability for all the selected rain fed crops. However, LMUs (VRe–NTu and NTu–VRe) has lower overall suitability values particularly for S1 suitability class (0.05% and 10.6%, respectively). The least suitable LMU is VRe–NTu with 0.05% S1 suitability class and above 99% of the land laid under the suitability classes of moderately suitable, marginally suitable and not suitable for the selected land utilization types. Moreover, about 219.06 ha (17.76%), 217.6 ha (17.64%), 168.9 ha (13.7%), of land are highly suitable for malt barley, teff and wheat crop production, respectively. In conclusion, during MCDM, classifying the land into closer homogeneities (LMU) an important application of LSA integrated with remote sensing and GIS for a better decision making. Meanwhile, majority (above two third’s) of the land in the watershed is under moderate and marginally suitable, it needs intensive land management activities to increase the land qualities and obtain high yields. LSA recommended before land utilization decision has to be made. It is also important to classifying the land into LMUs to make it more homogeneous for sample taking and reducing the prestigious soil laboratory analysis costs.

Hydrogeochemical investigation of irrigation water in the vicinity of metallic ore deposits in Kiraz‐İzmir, Turkey: Understanding the crucial nexus between “geology and food safety”

AbstractThe increasing drought due to climate change poses a threat to issues such as safe and accessible drinking water, food safety, and protection from diseases. The provision of water supply is vital for agricultural and livestock activities, which are commonly practiced around natural ore deposits. Examining traditional “irrigation water quality” methods alone is insufficient; investigating potentially toxic metal content in the region's waters is vital, especially around metallic ore deposits. This study focused on the Kiraz district in Turkey, known for its agricultural activities, to assess the impact of geogenic water pollution on irrigation water quality and its implications for food safety and human health. Geology determines nutrient availability, water resources, and land suitability for agriculture. Conventional irrigation water quality parameters indicate groundwater suitability for irrigation in the study area, considering Na%, sodium adsorption ratio, residual sodium carbonate, permeability index, Kelly ratio, magnesium hazard, and potential salinity. However, when examining the potential toxic metal content in the region, it was determined that the values of Al ranged from 96 to 8676 ppb, Ni values ranged from 27 to 360 ppb, and Sb concentrations varied between 9 and 53 432 ppb. Utilizing geogenically contaminated water for irrigation and its indiscriminate use in livestock, dairy, and food industries can lead to foodborne illnesses (cancer, endocrine disruptors, tuberculosis, antimony spots, thyroid tumors, goiter, neurologic and cardiovascular diseases) that endanger human health. The use of low‐quality water throughout the agricultural sector and food production chain increases food safety risks.

Determination of suitable agricultural areas and current land use in Isparta Province, Türkiye, through a linear combination technique and geographic information systems

AbstractSustainable land use is vital for the increasing population’s food supply and global food security. The use of the soils in the world for agricultural purposes makes a significant contribution to both national and international food supply, while the remaining plays a crucial role in maintaining forested and semi-natural ecosystems. For this reason, it is important to determine suitable agricultural areas. Soils in the study area are used for agricultural areas at 27.49%, while 63.17% are designated for forest and semi-natural areas. This study’s aim is to locate suitable agricultural areas in the semiarid Isparta province using the linear combination technique (LCT), a multi-criteria analysis method that uses topographic data and national soil data. The weights of the parameters were determined using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The agricultural land suitability map generated by LCT was divided into five categories according to the land suitability classification determined by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). It has been determined that 39.52% of the study area is for highly suitable (S1), moderately suitable (S2), and marginally suitable (S3) classes in the map of suitable agricultural areas using LCT. It is determined that 3991.24 ha of land in the S1 class, which shows the highly suitable areas for agriculture in the study area, was used as artificial surfaces. The results showed that the misuse of suitable agricultural lands increased in the study area. It was determined that artificial areas are expanding into agricultural areas, according to the CLC 2018 database. It shows that soil survey and mapping studies should be carried out according to soil classification systems such as Soil Taxonomy 2022, Land Use/Land Cover Area Frame Survey (LUCAS), and World Reference Base (WRB) 2022, for the determination and use of suitable agricultural lands in Türkiye.

Agricultural land suitability classification and crop suggestion using machine learning and spatial multicriteria decision analysis in semi-arid ecosystem

Agricultural land suitability classification and crop suggestion using machine learning and spatial multicriteria decision analysis in semi-arid ecosystem

Evaluating the Topographic Factors for Land Suitability Mapping of Specialty Crops in Southern Ontario

Climate change research identifies risks to agriculture that will impact agricultural land suitability. To mitigate these impacts, agricultural growing regions will need to adapt, diversify, or shift in location. Various machine learning algorithms have successfully modelled agricultural land suitability globally, predominantly using climate and soil features. Topography controls many of the environmental processes that impact agriculture, including soils, hydrology, and nutrient availability. This research evaluated the relationship between specialty crops and topography using land-surface parameters extracted from a 30 m DEM, soil features, and specialty crop presence/absence data derived from eight years of previous land classifications in southern Ontario, Canada. Using random forest, a model was developed for each specialty crop where feature permutation importance, Matthew’s correlation coefficient, and the area under the precision-recall curve was calculated. Elevation relative to watershed minimum and maximum, direct radiation on Day 172, and spherical standard deviation of normals were identified as the mean most important topographic features across all models and beet crops were found to have the highest association with topographic features. These results identify locations of agricultural expansion opportunities if climate becomes more favourable. The importance of topography in addition to climate and soils when identifying suitable areas for specialty crops is also highlighted.

Agricultural land suitability analysis of Southern Punjab, Pakistan using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) techniques

Agricultural land suitability analysis of Southern Punjab, Pakistan using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) techniques

The role of forest plantations for the native vegetation conservation in the protected areas surroundings

Protected areas are essential for the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services. However, the conservation of these areas depends on the management of their surroundings to promote landscape connectivity. In agricultural landscapes, the preservation of native vegetation in rural properties is one of the main strategies to promote the connectivity of the protected area. Forest certifications that require compliance with environmental laws can work as an important instrument to maintain native vegetation in forest plantation areas. In Brazil, most commercial plantations consist of exotic species, predominantly eucalyptus, pine, and teak. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the land-use/land-cover (LULC) and the landscape connectivity changes in the surrounding area of a protected area between 1986 and 2019 and understand if commercial forest plantations have contributed to maintaining native vegetation on private lands. For this, we evaluated LULC in 1986, 2008 and 2019, focusing on the application of the so-called New Forest Act (NFA). We compared LULC change with agricultural land suitability to check for trends. The landscape connectivity and the importance of the surrounding native vegetation fragments were verified based on the Graph Theory. Property boundaries were extracted from a land tenure model based on the Rural Environmental Registry. To verify the perception of landowners and planted forest industries, we sent a questionnaire with open and closed questions. Our results showed that pasture was the main LULC in the area but has decreased giving space to native vegetation regeneration and mostly to forest plantation and soybean expansion. Pasture with lower agricultural suitability is converted to forest plantation and native vegetation, while pasture with higher agricultural suitability becomes soybean crops. At the rural property level, forest plantations presented the largest area and the largest native vegetation cover compared to other agricultural sectors but still presented a significant riparian vegetation deficit, according to the NFA. Forest fragmentation has increased over the years, even with the increase in native vegetation in 2019 compared to 2008. Regarding the landowner’s perception, farmers and industries have demonstrated knowledge and intent to comply with the NFA, but most do not know the Capão Bonito Nacional Forest (CBNF). Our results show that forest plantations have an important role in protecting native vegetation in the protected area surroundings, and the forest certification helps environmental legislation compliance. However, the conservation strategies between landowners, planted forest industries, and the protected area must be improved, mainly the Permanent Preservation Area deficits (riparian zones) inherited from pastures and which were converted into forest plantations. Furthermore, strategies to engage the local population in conserving the protected area, such as through agroforestry systems promotion, are fundamental.

EVALUASI KESESUAIAN LAHAN PERTANIAN UNTUK TANAMAN JAGUNG DI KECAMATAN KUALUH HILIR, LABUHAN BATU UTARA, SUMATERA UTARA

Land suitability is one method used to assess the suitability of a commodity to be cultivated sustainably on land. This research aimed to highlight the issue of agricultural land for maize in Kulah Hilir District, Labuhan Batu Regency, North Sumatra. The method used in this research is the matching evaluation method (weight factor match). The data used in this research is secondary data sourced from research data in the form of rice agricultural land suitability data with the title Evaluation of Land Suitability for Rice (Oryza sativa L.) in Kualuh Hilir District, Labuhanbatu Regency. North, North Sumatra. This research showed that the land suitability class of corn in Kualuh Hilir District, North Labuhanbatu Regency, North Sumatra, using the weight factor matching method, is in class S2, "quite suitable" for planting corn plants. There are two limiting factors in land adjustment from rice plant data for corn plants; namely, the limiting factor for nutrient retention (nr) is only (base saturation (%)) and pH H2O with a land suitability level of "marginal suitability" S3 but improvements can be made to increase the class. The suitability of the land with the addition of organic materials and lime ameliorant materials with low to medium input can increase the potential suitability class of the land to S2.

Geospatial evaluation of the agricultural suitability and land use compatibility in Europe's temperate continental climate region

Land suitability assessment is used in conjunction with geographic information systems to spatially model diverse aspects of soil functions, having the potential to facilitate a sustainable increase in agricultural production, reduce land degradation, or aid humans in adapting to climate change. Compared to the existing datasets, this study provides a new higher resolution geospatial assessment of the agricultural land suitability for several crops and land uses in the temperate continental climate across Europe. To model the land suitability we used geospatial data depicting seventeen eco-pedological indicators (e.g. soil texture, pH, porosity, temperature, precipitation, slope). To evaluate how the land is utilized, the suitability maps have been spatially cross-tabulated with a crop map. Over the entire study area, wheat and barley showed significant suitable land in the southern part, potatoes, and sugar beet exhibited the highest extent of suitable land in the northern parts, while corn and sunflower exhibited a much lower extent of suitable land. Water table depth, precipitation, temperature, terrain slope, soil porosity, SOC, and topsoil texture emerged as the limiting factors for agricultural suitability in the study area. Our results show that the suitable arable land does not have space left for the expansion of crops, however, we have identified regions with extensive cultivation of wheat and corn on unsuitable land with the potential for cultivation of more suitable crops such as barley, sunflower, sugar beet, and potato. It seems that one action that can enhance agricultural practices in the study area is to better allocate each cultivated crop across more suitable lands.

Analisis Kesesuaian Lahan Pertanian dengan Program Lahan Sawah Dilindungi di Kabupaten Lombok Barat

Protected paddy fields (LSD) is one of the government programs from the Ministry of Agrarian and Spatial Planning / Head of the National Land Agency which aims to control the conversion of rice fields and meet the availability of paddy fields to support national food. The agriculture office has also developed the concept of sustainable agricultural land and food (LP2B) which will be used as regional regulations that will be a reference in development and have goals that are in line with LSD. The obstacle to the implementation of this government program is land ownership by residents, so it tends to be difficult to maintain agricultural areas, West Lombok Regency based on the decision of the Minister of Agrarian and Spatial Planning / Head of the National Land Agency has determined a map of protected rice fields (LSD) covering an area of 9,102.17 Ha which is currently unknown condition, whether this area has been fulfilled properly. The purpose of this study is to determine the suitability of agricultural land by looking at the protected paddy field program. The research method uses argis overlay analysis and literature studies and interviews. The results of the analysis found that the unsuitable land area was 992.03 ha or 7% of the total area of protected rice fields based on the Regional Spatial Plan (RTRW). The findings were that there were 26501.62 ha of paddy field designation in accordance with the RTRW that had not been designated as protected rice fields (LSD).

Environmental land use conflicts and ecosystem services: a paper review

The topic of potential conflicts related to land use involving human activities in a watershed is an important matter to be discussed. The background of this research is that conditions in mountainous watersheds, and agricultural land use cause changes in ecosystem services, with trade-offs between crop production and erosion regulation. Watershed management with an environmental concept often faces problems with different interests among stakeholders. Although several studies have initiated the mapping of land-use conflicts between human activities and conservation, the spatial assessment of land-use conflicts on environmental issues and trade-offs of ecosystem services in agricultural areas has not been fully considered. The purpose of this study is to map land use, with indicators of measuring conflicts in the value of conservation and agricultural development, through scenarios of the level of erosion hazard on agricultural land. This study provides input to decision-makers regarding watershed conservation efforts that still consider aspects of the economic needs of agricultural land. The objective of the reviewers is to understand how the concept of mapping the potential conflict of land use in the Haean watershed in South Korea can be applied in Indonesia. The methodology used is to apply the agricultural land suitability index based on various analytical criteria to estimate the spatial preferences of agricultural activities. To predict erosion, using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) method and the classification of agricultural land in the watershed is divided into four levels of land use conflict (lowest, low, high, and highest).

Geospatial API Architecture with Laravel for Agricultural Land Suitability Detection System

Geospatial API Architecture with Laravel for Agricultural Land Suitability Detection System

Agricultural land suitability for rainfed and irrigated crop cultivation in a semi-arid region of Northeastern Brazil

Adequate territorial management of irrigation water is essential to ensure water security, especially in semi-arid areas. This paper presents a spatial diagnostic of the most suitable areas for crops cultivation (individual or intercropped), under rainfed and irrigated, considering specific conditions to promote agricultural sustainable production in the Agreste of Pernambuco (Brazil). The procedure combines geospatial information about edaphoclimatic requirements and legal and biophysical restrictions on land use. If there is water availability for irrigation, the areas eligible for the cultivation of cowpea and maize can increase by up to 50% and 120%, respectively, compared to the area available for rainfed planting for these crops in the study region. In general, the conditions of annual precipitation are not suitable for the rainfed production of sugarcane and banana in regular years. The method, widely applicable to other regions, allows the assessment of the suitability of each site for the cultivation of more than one crop and can support the definition and evaluation of public water policies for sustainable economic development. Its results can convert the perceptions of those involved in technical and reasoned analysis in the face of critical issues to achieving water sustainability and sustainable economic development.

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.

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.