A geogrid-based framework of agricultural zoning for planning and management of water & land resources: A case study of northwest arid region of China

Agricultural zoning is recognized as an effective approach to utilization of agricultural water & land resources (AWLR), especially in a large-scale region. The main objective of this work is to explore a new zoning method of classifying and dividing the AWLR of a larger area such as the Northwest Arid Region of China (NWAR). In this study, models of AWLR zoning of the NWAR were constructed. Data on 13 selected indicators were gathered from its 394 administrative counties, and processed and imported into 227100 Geogrid files. Then they were analyzed through four contradistinctive zoning approaches. And zoning results were tested and validated. The Geogrid-based PCA - SOFM scheme is the most effective, concise, and applicable. Finally, the NWAR was divided into 5 AWLR zones which were delineated according to the climate and geographic features and the administrative boundaries of counties or county-level districts. This work has established a novel methodological framework for AWLR zoning of a large-scale area.