GIS-based Land Suitability Assessment of Large Cardamom Cultivation in Bhutan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54417/jaetm.v6i1.154Keywords:
Land suitability, mapping, large cardamom, geographic information systems, analytical hierarchy processAbstract
Large cardamoms, which were first introduced in the early 70s, have become major cash crops for farmers in the southern Dzongkhags of Bhutan. However, over the years, increased pests and diseases, including climate change impacts such as erratic weather patterns leading to changes in the ecology of cardamoms and making existing cultivable lands less productive, have been a challenge for growers. Moreover, the decline in production in recent years has raised concerns about the sustainability of spice crops in the region. Nevertheless, no major intervention measures have been undertaken to address these issues in the country. Therefore, this study aims to identify suitable areas for large cardamom cultivation in Bhutan via geographic information systems (GIS) and the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) in Bhutan. To address these issues, this study integrates ten agroclimatic factors: elevation, slope, aspect, rainfall, soil type, soil pH, annual mean temperature, land surface temperature, proximity to rivers, and land use factor, to evaluate the spatial suitability for cardamom cultivation. The four-stage AHP methodology, consisting of problem structuring, pairwise comparison, priority derivation and consistency checks and synthesis, was employed in the analysis. The results revealed that elevation was the most influential factor, with a weight of 0.27, whereas land use and distance from the river were the least influential factors, with a weight of 0.037. Furthermore, the findings also revealed that approximately 3,186.14 km² of land is highly suitable for cardamom cultivation in Bhutan, of which only 47.29 km² (approximately 2%) is currently cultivated, indicating the potential of increasing cardamom cultivation. The findings of this study closely align with the Department of Agriculture (DOA) data, indicating the consistency of the analysis. Thus, the findings present the spatial framework for policymakers, agriculture planners, local leaders, and farmers to capitalise on the opportunity to expand and enhance the production of cardamom, contributing to the agricultural economy in the country.
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