Site selection is a key factor in any aquaculture operation, because it affects both success and sustainability. It can, moreover, solve conflicts between different activities, making rational use of the land. This study was conducted to identify suitable sites for development of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) farming in Sitakunda Upazila (sub-district), Bangladesh, using GIS-based multi-criteria evaluation of water and soil quality, topography, infrastructure and socio-economic factors.

In Iran, the development of cultivated areas becomes gradually impossible due to ever-increasing population growth and urban area development. Therefore, it is very important to use the existing cultivated lands more efficiently. Land suitability evaluation makes the sustainable use of the lands feasible. The objective of this study was qualitative, quantitative and economic assessment of land suitability in Talandahst area for rainfed wheat, barley and chickpea. Talandasht plain with a surface area of 4500 ha is located southwest of Kermanshah city.

This booklet was prepared after the December 2004 tsunami caused serious damage to agricultural land, soils and vegetation along the coastal areas of Aceh, Indonesia. The booklet is a guideline for the district government of Aceh Barat for spatial lay-outing of tree crops suitable for its coastal areas. Tree crop options considered in this booklet are based mainly on biophysical characteristics of land. The information is based on soil characteristics and climate data related to growth requirements of crops being evaluated.

There is an increasing global demand for oil palm, but its production provokes societal debate on the environmental and social aspects that surround it, particularly in southeast Asia. This study, at the request of request of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV), ISRIC-World Soil Information, Alterra and Plant Research International, assessed the biophysical land suitability for the production of oil palm in Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Black truffle (Tuber melanosporum Vitt) is an agro-forest resource with great development potentiality in Mediterranean calcareous mountains. In this study, we analyse the ectomycorrhizal inoculum potential of the soil and the competitiveness of Tuber melanosporum ectomycorrhizas to this inoculum in the different land uses present in a truffle-producing region with the aim of assessing their suitability for establishing truffle orchards. Soil samples collected from forests, croplands and wastelands in El Toro (Valencian Region, Eastern Spain) were used to perform four greenhouse bioassays.

An area suitability assessment for crop production requires a considerable effort, which can provide necessary information for optimum land use. Agricultural land use has benefited significantly from the use of suitability systems in recent years.

The SIAT is a specialist system for Land Evaluation derived from the MicroLEIS - Land Evaluation Information System developed in Spain. In its first version the 12 variables were adapted and adjusted for tropical conditions as well as the program structure and databank. In that time the field tests showed that the best results were obtained for scales near 1:100.000. In this second version the ranges for each variable were redefine and a communication interface with the GIS IDRISI was introduced, which allowed the exchange of data between the two programs.

The Kalahari ecosystem is characterized by natural resource conflicts and land-use pressure resulting from intensification of human activities. This paper addresses three issues of concern associated with the Kalahari ecosystem resource management: (i) the major land-use/land cover shifts in the Kalahari ecosystem since 1970 and the resulting pattern in vegetation species composition, cover and density; (ii) the possible explanations for the observed shifts; and (iii) the possible resource conflicts likely to arise.

In the Trás-os-Montes Region (Northeastern Portugal), olive tree plantations cover an area of more than 70 thousand ha (near the 6 % of the regional territory), mostly planted and cultivated under traditional non-mechanised cultural systems. It is fully recognised that the olive sector contributes significantly to the regional agro-economy, as well as to the conservation of certain typical landscapes.