Evaluating biophysical variables to identify suitable areas for oat in Central Mexico:: a multi-criteria and GIS approach

Evaluation of biophysical variables is usually a first step in land use analysis. A multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) approach, within a GIS environment, was used to identify suitable areas for oat (Avena sativa L.) crop production in Central Mexico. Relevant environment-components such as climate, soil, and topography at different spatial and temporal resolutions were considered. Fuzzy membership function was used to generate standardized factor maps. According to the weight-eigen vectors, the results indicated that the most important variables affecting the growth of an oat crop were precipitation, altitude and soil depth. This research provided information at regional level that could be used by farmers to select crop pattern and suitability. The results of this research identified 6663 ha with a high suitability level, which represent 57% more than the territory presently being used for oat cultivation, under rain-fed agriculture in Central Mexico. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.