Determination of the Agricultural Land in the Zamanti Sub-basin in Türkiye Using GIS and Analytical Hierarchy Process
Abdishakur AbdullahiThis study assessed the suitability of agricultural land within the Zamantı Watershed, located in the Seyhan Basin of Türkiye, using multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) within a geographic information system (GIS) framework and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Eight criteria, including elevation, soil, land use, slope, precipitation, drainage density, aspect, and water source proximity, were used to evaluate different regions within the basin. Data from various sources, such as the Digital Elevation Model (DEM), CORINE Land Cover (CLC) database, rainfall data from the Türkiye General Directorate of Meteorology, and soil data from the Food and Agricultural Organization (FOA), were utilized. The AHP methodology determines the relative importance of the criteria and sub-parameters through pairwise comparison, and the Consistency Ratio (CR) is used to analyze the consistency of the pairwise comparison matrix. The results indicated that 78% of the study area was suitable for agricultural production, with 14.72% being highly suitable, 34.38% moderately suitable, 29.44% typically suitable, 17.93% unsuitable, and 3.53% permanently unsuitable. The highly suitable areas had a flat topography and suitable soil. The average elevation of the basin ranges between 1,000 and 2,000 m, resulting in slopes that are suitable for agricultural activities. The shape of the basin boundary allowed easy irrigation of the farm areas, because the most remote areas of the basin were located less than 25 km away. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of the suitability of the Zamantı Watershed for agricultural production and can be used for agricultural development in this region.