Land suitability assessment for Thanh Tra pomelo specialized crop development in Phong Dien district, Thua Thien Hue province

Abstract

Phong Dien district is located in the North of Thua Thien Hue province, spreading over three typical climate regions: hills, plains, lagoons and coasts. Developing an appropriate specialized crop, Thanh Tra pomelo, with an economically viable volume and considering the end product to be a district’s specialty is essential. To determine the area for sustainable cultivation of Thanh Tra pomelo in the locality, we have applied GIS and AHP technology to assess land suitability in four levels: Very suitable (S1), Suitable (S2), Less suitable (S3), and Not suitable (N). We developed a unit map containing the soil type, soil mechanical composition, slope, layer thickness, fertility, and irrigation. We created 111 units of land maps with an area of 95,375.1 ha for land evaluation for Thanh Tra crops. Among them, eight land map units (LMU) belong to the S1 class, 40 LMUs to the S2 class, and 32 LUMs to the N class. These map units are a valuable reference for policy maker in setting agricultural development plans in the future.