Evaluation of Agricultural Land Suitability Based on RS, AHP, and MEA: A Case Study in Jilin Province, China

Cheng Han, Shengbo Chen, Yan Yu, Zhengyuan Xu, Bingxue Zhu, Xitong Xu and Zibo Wang
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Cheng Han: College of Geo-Exploration Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun 130026, China
Shengbo Chen: College of Geo-Exploration Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun 130026, China
Yan Yu: College of Geo-Exploration Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun 130026, China
Zhengyuan Xu: College of Geo-Exploration Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun 130026, China
Bingxue Zhu: College of Geo-Exploration Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun 130026, China
Xitong Xu: College of Geo-Exploration Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun 130026, China
Zibo Wang: College of Geo-Exploration Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun 130026, China

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 4, 1-23

Abstract: The suitability evaluation of agricultural land at the regional scale is of great significance for protecting land and water resources and building sustainable agricultural systems. Based on climate, soil, topographical, and surface water resources, land suitability index (LSI) data for maize, rice, and soybeans are established using an analytical hierarchy process and matter element analysis (AHP–MEA) model in Jilin Province, China. The results show that there is a significant positive linear correlation between the LSI and the measured yield, which indicates that the model has an ideal effect and certain reference and extension significance. The main limiting factors for maize and soybean planting are pH, total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (AP), and soil texture, while water shortage limits rice planting. Different spatial structure optimization schemes for planting are established using the LSI and measured yield, along with economic indices. This study shows that the scheme that integrates policy and cost can make full use of land and water resources and promote the economic growth of agriculture. After optimization, the planting areas of maize, rice, and soybeans were 7.22, 2.44, and 0.71 million ha, respectively, representing an increase of 15.71 billion yuan over the agricultural GDP for the existing planting structure. It is expected that this study will provide a basis for follow-up studies on crop cultivation suitability.

Keywords: analytic hierarchy process; matter element analysis; remote sensing; suitability; planting structure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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