Analytic Hierarchy Process Based Land Suitability for Organic Farming in the Arid Region

Abstract

The use of organic farming in the Thar desert region (great Indian desert) is extremely low due to the low humidity and high temperatures across India. As a result, the desert area faces significant challenges in agricultural production and in meeting the demand for high-quality food. Thus, the farming community in this area needs to expand to meet the required demands. Geospatial technologies are capable of recommending suitable farming areas in desert regions and, specifically, to increase organic farming. However, the prevalence of organic farming is very low in developing countries. In this study, a multi-criteria decision-making process was used to determine land suitability for organic crops and to increase organic food production. This study attempted to identify suitable land for reliable organic farming in Rajasthan’s Barmer district. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) technique combined with the geographic information system approach showed that, in the Barmer district, the highly suitable area for organic farming comprises about 832 sq. km and the moderately suitable area covers about 8524 sq. km. Monthly Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and precipitation data were used to identify the impact of organic farming in the Barmer district for the period from January 2017 to December 2020. Finally, this study investigated the quality of land and its application so that it can be used effectively to solve social and economic problems.