Land Suitability Modeling for gram crop using remote sensing and GIS: A case study of Seonath basin, India

Abstract

Land suitability analysis is a model initiatives decisionsupport system, which standardized in spatialframework within digital environment. Healthy gramcrop farming is primarily depends on combination offavourable environmental factors, which are complex innature. In this article, these complex environmental factorspurified in mathematical and technological environmentsfor selecting condition, which is good, or badfor gram crop farming. Analytical Hierarchical Program(AHP), Remote Sensing and GIS are such tools and techniques,which provide better solution. The degree of suitability of classes has been classified according to thestandard framework of FAO (1976) such as, highly suitable, moderately suitable, marginally suitable, currently not suitable and permanently unsuitable and assigns code as S1, S2, S3, N1 and N2. In the study area, the degree of land suitability namely S1, S2, S3, N1 and N2 are distributed as 22.94%, 20.21%, 17.70%, 22.68%, 16.47% of the total cropland and 15.39%, 13.56%, 11.87%, 15.22% and 11.05% of total geographical area. This land suitability has been delineated based on present spatial distribution of favourable environmental conditions but others factors like cropping process, technological innovation and land use management policy can also change the magnitude of land suitability. As the land use is a dynamic and complex phenomena and trajectory in nature so the amount of land suitability can be varied in future land use planning for gram farming. The outcome of this study will be useful to agriculture land use planners and policy makers for the benefits of farmers and the national economy.