Site suitability analysis for agricultural land use of Darjeeling district using AHP and GIS techniques

Darjeeling district covered with 60.89 % of its land under Himalayan dense forest producing exquisite biodiversity and variations in climate with a diversified fauna and flora. Therefore, designs great scope for agricultural development in the rural area of the Himalayan foothills to boost rural economies. However, agriculture not mostly developed in this district due to different physical threats (such as very high slope and elevation, dense vegetation cover, fewer irrigation facilities, dry soil, etc.), socio-economic problems and lack of adequate transportation. Land suitability analysis can help to establish the strategies for the development of agricultural productivity. AHP with the integration of GIS-based multi-criterion decision making an approach using DEM and Landsat 8 satellite data was utilized to evaluate land suitability for agriculture production in hilly areas. Various ‘expert opinions’ was used to determine the results of selected parameters whereas pairwise comparison matrix used to established the weights. About, 5.31 % area is classified in the class highly suitable, 29.82 % in moderately suitable, 24.27 % in marginally suitable, and 40.60 % in unsuitable for agriculture. The techniques, methodology and results of the study can be effective to assess the suitable land for agriculture in hilly regions. © 2016, Springer International Publishing Switzerland.