Agricultural land use suitability analysis using GIS and AHP technique in Baramulla district of the Kashmir valley, India

Abstract

Abstract Land suitability studies are necessary for reducing human impact on natural resources and figuring out the best way to use a piece of land. In the Baramulla district of the Kashmir valley, an effort has been made in this study to pinpoint a suitable land area for agriculture suitability. Because of this, choosing appropriate locations for agriculture suitability while preserving ecological balance has become a necessary component of sustainable land use planning and agriculture. We assess the land suitability for agriculture in Baramulla, India, using fundamental characteristics such as slope, elevation, temperature, rainfall, LULC, physical and chemical qualities of the soil, and utilised weighted multicriteria evaluation (MCE) technique in a GIS context. Utilising the literature that was accessible and interviews with regional experts, the AHP approach was used to score the criteria. Through weighted overlay analysis, a map of the research area's agricultural suitability was created by incorporating several criteria. According to a map showing the suitability of the land for agriculture in the study region, 16.59% of the land was extremely suitable, 28.16% of the land was moderately suitable, 40.29% of the land was marginally acceptable, and 14.96% of the land was unsuitable. The results have also been thoroughly examined using Google Earth images, in comparison with Sentinel-2b LULC output, in order to increase the trustworthiness of the data. Farmers, regional planners, and the government can utilise the research study's findings to guide their decisions regarding prospective agriculture areas in the region and the strategies that will provide a sustainable agriculture land management strategy.