GIS Applications in Land Adaptability Mapping for Perennial Industrial Crops in Nghe An Province, Vietnam

Perennial industrial crops such as coffee, rubber, pepper, etc., are a group of key crops with high economic value, contributing an important role in promoting the socio-economic development of localities. Geographic information systems (GIS) and the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) are used to develop land adaptation maps for the perennial industrial crops based on land assessment methodology of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). This research is conducted in Nghe An province because it has the largest area of agricultural land in Vietnam and has the potential to develop perennial industrial crops. Ten impact factors including soil type, elements of soil mechanic, soil layer thickness, elevation, slope, distance to river, annual average rainfall, annual average air temperature, annual mean maximum temperature, and annual mean minimum temperature are selected for natural adaptation assessment of the perennial industrial crops. The results derived from weighted identification using AHP method in GIS indicate that the impact factors related to soil such as soil type, elements of soil mechanic, and soil layer thickness have the highest impact on perennial industrial crops adaptation. Validation of the adaptation map is verified with the current land use map of Nghe An province using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve that comparing the actual land use and adaptation zones. Results from this research can assist managers, planners, as well as local communities in making rational decisions for the most effective land use. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.