Evaluation of Land Capability and Sustainable Agricultural Suitability in Khowai District, Tripura, India: An Integration of RS, GIS & AHP Approaches

Abstract

Land capability and suitability analysis are essential for sustainable land development, where land capability indicates the inherent capacity of land suitability reflects the degree of land utilisation for a specific type of crop. This paper aims to evaluate the land capability and suitability of Khowai District, an ecologically diverse region in India, to provide valuable insights for land management and sustainable land resource utilization. The current study employs a multi-disciplinary approach of integrating Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) to assess the land capability and suitability. For this study selected various factors are soil properties, topography, climate, land cover, hydrology, environment, and landforms characteristics. Further, applied the weighted overlay analysis method in QGIS 3.18 software to generate a comprehensive land capability and suitability map based on FAO guidelines. The findings indicate that 87% of the overall area is suitable for cultivating a wide variety of field crops, horticultural crops, and vegetables such as rice, maize, sesamum, pea, potato, banana, pineapple, orange, and mango. Whereas, the remaining 13% are not capable due to persistent constraints related to the terrain, slope, and soil depth. The study reveals that 18.65% of the total area consists of very appropriate regions located in low-elevation zones around Khowai and its tributaries. These areas are characterized by rich alluvial soil and are well-suited for cultivating rice, maize, and mustard crops. Conversely, the not-suitable areas, covering a total of 5.36%, are dispersed in high-elevated regions with landforms surrounded by dense vegetation cover. The study will provide valuable understandings for land use planners and local communities in making well-informed decisions and optimizing land resources for sustainable and resilient agriculture practices in future.