Agricultural land suitability analysis of Bankura district of West Bengal using AHP and GIS Techniques

Agriculture is the prime economic activity for people of Bankura district, West Bengal but due to some specific land characters, agricultural productivity is not satisfactory. Therefore, it is mandatory to judge the quality of land for better output of agricultural production as well as maintain the sustainability of land uses. Land suitability analysis is an important assessment for identifying proper land uses to get more benefits from the land. The present study evaluated the level of suitability for agriculture of the district. The analysis of agricultural land suitability has been done on the basis of multiple land characteristics and climatic variables. We have used the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) technique to evaluate the land characteristics using elevation, slope and aspects of land; type, texture, depth and moisture of soil; land use/land cover and rainfall as influential factors for the agriculture and GIS (Geographical Information System) tools have also been used for overlay weighted calculation, mapping and final output of the agricultural land suitability analysis. Results indicated that the 3.44% area of Bankura district is not suitable for agricultural activities. On the other hand, the area highly suitable for agricultural production is found to be 5.26% of the district. However, 56.26% and 35.05% area are found to be moderately and marginally suitable, respectively which need to be further managed for the sustainable agriculture. The techniques and results of the study can be useful in assessing the suitable land for agriculture for sustainable agriculture management.