LAND SUITABILITY AND PROBLEMS ASSESSMENT FOR FOOD CROP DEVELOPMENT BASED ON PEDO-AGROCLIMATE AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Abstract

This study specifically aimed to: (i) identify of pedo-agroclimate characteristics, (ii) evaluate of potential avaibility land, suitability land and problems for food crops development, (iii) develop planting and land recource management. This study was conducted on the mainland Buton Regency, the used a spatial analysis method employing GIS. The study results showed that: (i) the mainland Buton regency had relatively varied characteristics of land biophysic. For climate aspects, the region had low and uneven distributed rainfall; (ii) potential land avaibility for food crops development in study area was: 74,664.64 ha, where the land suitability level of S2 of 5,096.52 ha, S3 of 44,521.38 ha, and the rest was N1 and N2. The Land suitability classes for crop plant in the study area were: S3 and N1 except for cassava, there were S2, S3, and N. Similar problems were found in almost all areas, i.e. high soil pH 7 -8.5 or low 4 - 4.5, P2O5 content was very low, high air humidity 90% or low 30%, high erosion risk, high slope 15 - 25%, high level of surface rocks 40%, high level of surface layer 40%, very high erosion risk, very high slope 25%), shallow effective dept 20 cm; (iii) the land resource management, suggested were improvements: i.e: drainage system, nutrient retention through liming and addition of organic matter for CEC and pH, nutrient availability through liming and fertilization, mechanization potency on slopy area, erosion risk level through reducing erosion rate, making terrace, parallel contour planting, cover crop planting, terrace construction for rice at slopes 3 -8% and 8 - 15%, water availability through improvement of irrigation system.