Crop suitability analysis using novel models is a pillar for sustainable land-use planning. In this work, the analytical hierarchy
process (AHP) was integrated with GIS to produce suitability maps for wheat and maize under sprinkler irrigation and
broad bean under drip irrigation. The study was conducted in an arid area, west Nile Delta of Egypt. The characteristics of
local climate, landscape, and groundwater quality were matched with crop requirements and assigned scores. A GIS-based
model was implemented to integrate scores and AHP weights and generate crop suitability maps. The climate conditions
fitted optimum crop requirements; however, slight slope limitations affected wheat and maize. The electrical conductivity
(EC), exchangeable sodium percentage, and CaCO3
were the most important soil factors affecting broad bean, and these
factors besides coarse fragments affected wheat and maize. The EC, Na+,
and Cl–
were the most influential factors for wheat
and maize irrigation, while EC and sodium adsorption ratio had the greatest priority for broad bean irrigation. Irrigation
water quality had the highest specific weight (0.38) followed by soil (0.36), slope (0.15), and climate (0.10). The final suitability
maps showed that 97 and 3% of the total area were suitable (S2) and moderately suitable (S3) for wheat, respectively.
Moreover, 85 and 15% of the total area fitted the S2 and S3 classes for broad bean. For maize, 36 and 64% of the total area
fitted the S2 and S3 classes. Integrating AHP and GIS would provide effective land-use planning and also suggest proper
management practices in arid areas. |
