Mapping Land Units and Evaluating Land Suitability for Agricultural Production in Ha Tinh City Suburbs

Abstract

     The study area included 3 communes (Thach Quy, Thach Mon and Thach Ha) in the suburbs of Ha Tinh city: The total area is 760.62 ha. Six classification criteria were identified including soil type, terrain, top soil depth, texture, soil fertility and irrigation regime. Consequently, six corresponding thematic maps were constructed using GIS functions in ArcGIS software. Those maps were overlaid in order to construct a land unit map. The results showed that there were 31 land mapping units (LMU), among which LMU number 16 had the smallest area (9.64 ha) while LMU number 31 had the largest area (113.6 ha). Both of them are Thionic Pluvisols in FAO classification. By assessing the land quality of the LMUs, 456.05 ha were identified as suitable for paddy rice, 490.49 ha suitable for paddy rice and vegetable cultivation, alternately and 526.62 ha suitable for vegetable cultivation.