Cogent Food & Agriculture

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Agricultural land suitability analysis of Southern

Punjab, Pakistan using analytical hierarchy
process (AHP) and multi-criteria decision analysis
(MCDA) techniques

Sajjad Hussain, Wajid Nasim, Muhammad Mubeen, Shah Fahad, Aqil Tariq,
Shankar Karuppannan, Saeed Alqadhi, Javed Mallick, Hussein Almohamad &
Hazem Ghassan Abdo

To cite this article: Sajjad Hussain, Wajid Nasim, Muhammad Mubeen, Shah Fahad, Aqil Tariq,
Shankar Karuppannan, Saeed Alqadhi, Javed Mallick, Hussein Almohamad & Hazem Ghassan
Abdo (2024) Agricultural land suitability analysis of Southern Punjab, Pakistan using analytical
hierarchy process (AHP) and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) techniques, Cogent Food &
Agriculture, 10:1, 2294540, DOI: 10.1080/23311932.2023.2294540

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2023.2294540

© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa

UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis
Group.

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Cogent Food & Agriculture
2024, VOL. 10, NO. 1, 2294540
https://doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2023.2294540

SOIL & CROP SCIENCES | Research Article

Agricultural land suitability analysis of Southern Punjab, Pakistan using

analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and multi-criteria decision analysis
(MCDA) techniques
Sajjad Hussaina, Wajid Nasimb, Muhammad Mubeenc, Shah Fahadd, Aqil Tariqe,f, Shankar
Karuppannang, Saeed Alqadhih, Javed Mallickh, Hussein Almohamadi and Hazem Ghassan Abdoj

a
Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus, Vehari, Pakistan; bDepartment of Agronomy,
University College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB), Bahawalpur, Pakistan;
c
Department of Biotechnology, COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus, Vehari, Pakistan; dDepartment of Agronomy, Abdul
Wali Khan University, Mardan, Pakistan; eDepartment of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, College of Forest Resources, Mississippi
State University, MS, USA; fState Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing, Wuhan
University (LIESMARS), Wuhan, China; gDepartment of Applied Geology, School of Applied Natural Science, Adama Science and
Technology University, Adama, Ethiopia; Department of Research Analytics, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences
(SIMATS), Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India; hDepartment of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, King Khalid
University, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; iDepartment of Geography, College of Arabic Language and Social Studies, Qassim
University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia; jGeography Department, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Tartous University, Tartous, Syria

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

Received 5 October 2023
Agricultural Land Suitability Analysis plays a pivotal role in sustainable land use planning,
Revised 27 November 2023
aiding decision-makers in identifying areas most conducive to agriculture. This study employs Accepted 8 December 2023
a systematic approach integrating Analytical Hierarchy Process and Multi-Criteria Decision
Analysis techniques to assess and prioritize the suitability of agricultural land in in Southern KEYWORDS
Agriculture; land
Punjab (Multan region). The methodology involves defining clear objectives, identifying
suitability; environment;
relevant criteria and sub-criteria, establishing a hierarchical structure and conducting pairwise GIS; AHP
comparisons to determine the relative importance of each factor. Our outcomes indicated
that almost 43% area was highly suitable for agriculture, 27% moderately suitable, 16% REVIEWING EDITOR
Manuel Tejada,
marginally suitable, 8% less suitable and 6% not suitable for agriculture in study area. All the Universidad de Sevilla,
suitable lands had silty clay or clay type soil, which had sandy loam type soil in Multan Spain
region. The output is a comprehensive suitability map that identifies the most suitable areas
for agriculture in Multan region. Sensitivity analysis and validation are incorporated to enhance SUBJECTS
the robustness and reliability of the results. This methodology provides a valuable tool for Agriculture &
Environmental Sciences;
land use planners and policymakers to make informed decisions regarding agricultural land Earth Sciences;
allocation, contributing to sustainable agricultural practices and resource management. Environmental Studies

1. Introduction Zolekar & Bhagat, 2015). Long-term and short-term

Analysis of land suitability is the procedure of the
valuation of land which is intended to be used for a
specific task such as agriculture in regionally
(Bariotakis et al., 2019; Gilani et al., 2020; Yang et al.,
2023). Agriculture has become a prominent concern
since the early twenty-first century due to tremen-
dous rise in the global population (AbdelRahman
et al., 2016; Akpoti et al., 2019; Elsheikh et al., 2013;
Jiao et al., 2023). The change in agriculture and
impacts of climate variability are more severe in
areas where plants are less resistant to high tem-
peratures (A. Ali et al., 2023; Mubeen et al., 2023;
climate change is predicted to affect agricultural pro-
duction negatively in terms of crop suitability and
yield in various regions (G. B. Ahmed et al., 2016;
Aymen et al., 2021; He et al., 2023; Nguyen et al.,
2020; Vincent et al., 2019). Soil texture refers to the
relative proportions of sand, silt and clay particles
present in a given soil (Zhao et al., 2020; Zhu et al.,
2022). These particles vary in size, with sand being
the largest, silt intermediate and clay the smallest
(Cheng et al., 2023; Pant et al., 2023). The combina-
tion of these particles determines the soil’s texture
(Luo et al., 2022). Soil fertility is a measure of the
soil’s ability to provide essential nutrients to plants

CONTACT Hazem Ghassan Abdo Hazemabdo@tartous-univ.edu.sy Geography Department, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Tartous University,
Tartous, Syria
© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unre-
stricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the
posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
2 S. HUSSAIN ET AL.
for optimal growth and development (Kazmi et al.,
2023; Kumar & Pant, 2023). Soil fertility is influenced
by factors such as organic matter content, microbial
activity and nutrient cycling within the soil (Rawat
et al., 2022; Zheng et al., 2023). Soil drainage is the
ability of the soil to allow water movement through
its profile (Hu et al., 2023; Kumar et al., 2021).
Assessing soil drainage is essential in agricultural
land suitability analysis, as it directly impacts crop
selection, irrigation practices and overall land man-
agement strategies. Proper drainage contributes to
soil aeration, root development and the prevention
of water-related stress on crops (Kumar et al., 2022;
Shang et al., 2023; Zhang et al., 2023).
Geographic information system (GIS) and remote
sensing (RS) have played an important role in land
suitability analysis. The spatial nature of identifying
an acceptable site for agriculture necessitates using
GIS tools (Li et al., 2023; Yalew et al. 2016). The GIS
is a technique for integrating geographically refer-
enced data due to its intrinsic procedures and pro-
cesses (Griffel et al., 2022; Seyedmohammadi &
Navidi, 2022). Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis
(MCDA), gives frameworks to define selection
designing, issue analyzing and prioritizing alterna-
tives (Afzal et al., 2023; Al-Hanbali et al., 2022).
Therefore, GIS, in combination with MCDA, provides
tools that allow analysts to systematically overlay
diverse quantitative and qualitative criteria in a sin-
gle platform, which has been very useful in agricul-
ture management analysis (Anusha et al., 2022;
Sekhar et al., 2022). The MCDA process addresses
difficult problems by adding particular effective cri-
teria as well as utilizing the planner’s knowledge (A.
Tariq & Mumtaz, 2022). Under ambiguous condi-
tions, MCDA techniques assist in providing a
methodical strategy to select the most satisfactory
and appropriate solution (A. Tariq et al., 2023).
Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a generally
used MCDA approach to solve an expansive diver-
sity of spatial issues such as agriculture land suit-
ability (Purnamasari et al., 2022). It derives the
relevance of factors of a specific decision in a mul-
tilayer hierarchical manner (D. Khan et al., 2022).
This is why; AHP has been generally used in plan-
ning, resource allocation, water resources and agri-
culture land selection (Karuppasamy et al., 2022;
Khaliq et al., 2022; Tariq, & Mumtaz, 2022). The nov-
elty of this work lies in its integration of two pow-
erful decision-making tools – AHP and MCDA – for
agricultural land suitability analysis (Kumar et al.,
2022; Tian et al., 2020). The combination of these
techniques allows for a more nuanced and
objective evaluation of diverse criteria and
sub-criteria (M. A. Khan et al., 2022). The novelty
also extends to the systematic structuring of the
decision hierarchy, the rigorous pairwise compari-
sons to determine criteria weights and the subse-
quent application of MCDA techniques for spatial
analysis (Pant et al. 2022; Tian et al., 2019; Wu
et al., 2023).
Pakistan’s economy is mostly dependent on agri-
culture, therefore extremely sensitive to changing cli-
mate (Hussain & Karuppannan, 2021; Hussain,
Mubeen, Sultana, et al., 2022; Raza et al., 2023;
Waleed et al., 2022). The agricultural livelihoods
mostly depend on income from the production of
agricultural commodities (Hussain, Amin, et al., 2022;
Majeed et al., 2021). Numerous investigations showed
that crop production in Punjab (Pakistan) was expres-
sively affected due to increase in temperature by
0.5 °C during the last 30 years (Abdullahi & Pradhan,
2018; Aslam et al., 2017, 2018; Hussain, Lu, et al.,
2022; Mubeen et al., 2021), less rainfall as well as dif-
ferences in intensity and frequency of droughts and
floods during the years 1995–2017 (Akram, Amanet,
et al., 2022; Akram, Jabeen, et al., 2022; Din et al.,
2022; Masood et al., 2022; S. Naz et al., 2022). Most
farmers are still practicing traditional agriculture in
the province (M. Ahmed et al., 2022; Hussain,
Mubeen, Ahmad, Fahad, et al., 2021; Hussain,
Mubeen, Ahmad, Masood, et al., 2021; A. Tariq et al.,
2023). Land suitability analysis is a major point of
concern in Southern Punjab (Pakistan) (Hussain,
Mubeen, & Karuppannan, 2022; Hussain, Mubeen,
Nasim, et al., 2023; Islam et al., 2021). Decreasing
agricultural land is contributing to loss of human life
basic requirements as well as property (M. Ali et al.,
2019; Hussain, Mubeen, Ahmad, et al., 2022; Hussain,
Mubeen, Jatoi, et al., 2023; S. M. Khan et al., 2020;
Sabagh et al., 2020; Zahoor et al., 2019). Due to
increasing the urban areas, agricultural land has been
decreased in Multan region during last few years
(Hussain, Ahmad, et al., 2020; Hussain, Mubeen,
Ahmad, et al., 2020; Hussain, Qin, et al., 2022; Hussain,
Raza, et al., 2023; R. Khan et al., 2022). The purpose
of this Agricultural Land Suitability Analysis using
AHP and MCDA techniques is to provide a systematic
and comprehensive framework for evaluating and
prioritizing agricultural land suitability. The study
aims to support decision-makers, land use planners
and policymakers in making informed choices about
the allocation of land resources for agricultural pur-
poses. The key objective of this study was to explain
the suitable area for the growth of agriculture using
AHP and GIS technology. The purpose of this research

is also to analyze the soil texture, elevation, altitude,
soil pH, temperature, rainfall, slope as well LULC
changes. The important objective was to support
decision making problems (generated by many alter-
natives) in a better way.
2. Materials and method
2.1. Study area
The research area was bordered by Southern Punjab
(Multan division). Study area lies between longi-
tude 71° 00′ 54″ E to 72° 58′ 43″ E and latitude 29°
27′ 21″ N to 30°45′ 30″ N approximately (Figure 1).
The study area has 4 districts which include
Lodhran, Khanewal, Multan and Vehari Districts.
Multan is known to be one of the oldest cities in
Southern Punjab. Multan region lies at Nili Bar
which is between Beaas, Sutluj and Ravi rivers. The
region of Multan is plain and very productive with
River of Chenab on western side (passing in District
Muzaffargarh). This region is one of the most
favored parts of the country from an agricultural
aspect with land use/land cover (LULC) and human
settlements. The region of Multan has one of the
best cultivated areas which are suitable for various
crops like wheat, rice, cotton sugarcane and maize.
Multan is the 7th largest city with 4.7 M population
in Pakistan. It is main economic and cultural Centre
Figure 1. Study area map of Multan division.
Cogent Food & Agriculture 3
in Punjab, Pakistan. Economic of this area was
based on agro-production but agriculture was
dependent on canals as well as wells due to less
rainfall.
2.2. Datasets and software use
To identify the agriculture land suitability, eight the-
matic layers, namely, LULC, elevation, altitude, slope,
soil type, soil pH and climatic data (rainfall and
temperature) were considered. The climatic data
(temperature and rainfall) were downloaded from
website (http://power.larc.nasa.gov). The thematic
map of LULC was generated from multi-spectral
pan-sharpened Landsat 8 OLI with a spatial resolu-
tion of 30 m dated 14 March 2022 were used and
the classification was carried out in ERDAS Imagine
2015 software (Hussain, Mubeen, Akram, et al.,
2020). All the factor layers produced in ArcMap 10.6
with every layer were resized to 25 m × 25 m reso-
lution and projected into Rectified Skew
Orthomorphic (RSO). Buffer layers for soil texture
and pH were also created. All the layers were then
rasterized and after that reclassified in GIS as per
their relative importance. The datasets used for the
present investigation and their sources are listed in
Table 1.
4 S. HUSSAIN ET AL.

Table 1. List of all datasets and their sources. alternatives. A decision hierarchy is formed when a
No Types of data Source complex choice problem is broken into smaller
1. Elevation IFSAR (DEM) decision problems (Khubaib et al., 2021; A. Naz &
2. Slope IFSAR (DEM)
3. Satellite image (LULC) Landsat 8 classification Rasheed, 2017; Syed & Shahida, 2010). To promote
4. Temperature NASA and accomplish optimal decisions, AHP integrates
5. Rainfall NASA
6. Soil texture IFSAR (DEM)
the decision-subjective maker’s judgments as well
7. Soil pH Generated from IFSAR DEM as empirical evidence (Aftab et al., 2011; Iqbal et al.,
8. Altitude Generated from IFSAR DEM 2021). Eight criteria were selected as inputs to the
AHP exercise based on geo-environmental infra-
structural and characteristics and then further used
2.3. Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) for the weighted overlay analysis in Arc Map
In the context of agricultural land suitability analy- (Rasheed & Naz, 2016; Waseem et al., 2020). Weights
sis, these MCDA methods (weighted sum, weighted were assigned based on expert opinion and litera-
product and fuzzy logic) were applied to integrate ture reviewed in this work, hence normalized
the standardized data from various criteria. For weights of all criteria were tested for consistency
example, using the Weighted Sum Method, the ratio (CR) as indicated by Hassan et al. (2020) using
standardized scores for soil quality, climate condi- the formulas in Equations (1–6).
Preparation of pairwise judgment matrices (X)
tions, topography, water availability and other rele-
vant criteria are multiplied by their respective
j11 j12 … j1n
weights and then summed to obtain an overall
M= j21 j22 … j2 n(1)
suitability score for each location (Kumar & Pant,
⋮ ⋮ ⋮
2023). The Weighted Product Method can be
j31 j32 ⋯ jnn
applied similarly but with multiplication instead of
summation. Fuzzy logic can be used to handle lin-
Where in Equation (1), jn represents the criteria
guistic variables and uncertainties associated with
with jnn being the judgment matrix element.
criteria like climate resilience or social factors. The
choice of MCDA method depends on the nature of
the decision problem, the characteristics of the cri- 2.3.1. Normalization of weights
teria and the preferences of decision-makers. Each
method has its strengths and limitations and the
 GM 
appropriateness of the chosen method should be Wn=  n (2)
 ∑ n=1GMn 
Nt
carefully considered based on the specific require- 
ments of the agricultural land suitability analysis
where GMn signifies the geometric mean of the ith
(Hussain et al., 2024).
row of judgment matrices generated using
The variables LULC, elevation, Altitude, slope, soil
Equation (3)
type, soil pH and climatic data (rainfall and tem-
perature) were used for the identification of land
=
GMn Nt j1n j2 n … jnNt (3)
suitability analysis (Shahab et al., 2016). All the vari-
ables were either in the form of remote sensing
imagery or in the form of excels tables which were
later on transformed in GIS format. After running 2.3.2. Checking the consistency ratio
the AHP calculation on the data, all the layers were
converted into a raster file format for further suit- CI
CR = (4)
ability analysis. Seventeen (17) points in different RCI
districts were marked through a GPS survey that Where CI exhibits consistency index computed from
shows the locations actually having this agriculture. Equation (5)
Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and extensively
used MCDA technique developed by Saaty and λmax − Nt
CI = (5)
Vargas (2006) was considered to prioritize the crite- Nt − 1
ria for land suitability analysis [59]. It is a technique
for analyzing the supporting decisions with many In Equation (5) 𝜆max represents eigen value of the
and competing objectives, as well as multiple matrix M and was calculated using Equation (6)

( MWn )
λmax = (6)
NtWn
In Equation (6), W denotes a weighted vector. The
value of RCI (random consistency index) can be obtained
from standard table given by Hassan et al. (2020). The
value ≤0.10 is acceptable for the consistency ratio (CR).
The flow chart showing the methodological framework
for the current research is shown in Figure 2.
3. Results
3.1. Soil texture
Soil texture is one of the most significant lithological
factors that also affect agriculture land suitability.
Soil plays an important role in restricting the move-
ment of agriculture land suitability and the best soil
type for agriculture selection is clay loam, followed
by silty clay and sandy loam. In the present investi-
gation, four soil classes were specified, which include
clay loam, silty clay, sandy loam and clay sand as
shown in Figure 3(a). For agriculture location suitabil-
ity, the most elevated weightage was allocated to
clay loam unit, while the least preference was given
to sandy loam (Table 2).
Figure 2. Flow chart of detail methodology.
Cogent Food & Agriculture 5
3.2. Soil pH
Soil pH is also among the critical lithological factors
in identifying the agriculture land suitability. Soil
plays an important role in constrictive the suitability
of agriculture and the best soil pH for agriculture is
< 7. In the present study, 4 soil pH types were iden-
tified, which are < 7, 7–7.5, 7.5–8 and > 8 as shown
in Figure 3(b). For agriculture land suitability, the
highest weightage was assigned to 7–8 and the least
preference was given to >8 (Table 2). pH of soil
increased due to increasing the built-up area and
human activities.
3.3. Elevation
Elevation is considered as an influential topographi-
cal parameter in the selection of agricultural land.
Greater elevation regions are not suitable for agricul-
ture due to environmental decline. Elevation is pre-
pared by using DEM in ArcMAP. In our research, the
region was divided into 4 elevation zones < 300 Ft,
300–400 Ft, 400–500 Ft and >500 Ft (Figure 3(c)).
Therefore, regions with higher elevations were given
the least preference for agriculture, while regions
with an elevation between 200 and 400 Ft were
assigned the maximum weightage (Table 2).
6 S. HUSSAIN ET AL.

Figure 3. Map of soil texture, soil pH, elevation and altitude in Multan division.

Table 2. Description and weights of soil texture, soil pH, elevation and altitude in Multan division.
No Factors Criteria Sub-criteria Description Weights
1 Lithological Soil texture Clay loam Highly suitable 0.14
Silty clay Moderately suitable
Sandy loam Low suitable
Clay sand Not suitable
2 Lithological Soil pH <7 Highly suitable 0.12
7–7.5 Moderately suitable
1. –8 Low suitable
>8 Not suitable
3 Topographic Elevation (Ft) <300 Highly suitable 0.11
300–400 Moderately suitable
400–500 Low suitable
>500 Not suitable
4 Topographic Altitude (Ft) <500 Highly suitable 0.05
500–1000 Moderately suitable
1000–1500 Low suitable
>1500 Not suitable

3.4. Altitude 3.5. Temperature

Altitude is regarded as another important topograph-
ical consideration during selection of agriculture land.
High altitude areas are not suitable for the agriculture.
Altitude is prepared by using DEM from contour map.
The area was divided into 4 altitude zones < 500 Ft,
500–1000 Ft, 1000–1500 Ft and >1500 Ft, as shown in
Figure 3(d). Thus, areas with higher altitudes were
given the least preference for agriculture, while areas
with an elevation of between 300 and 1000 Ft assigned
the maximum weightage (Table 2).
Temperature is a pivotal climatic factor in the selec-
tion of agriculture land. Point data for the tempera-
ture was downloaded from NASA site and converted
into GIS climate. The area was divided into four ele-
vation zones < 27, 27–27.5, 27.5–28 and > 28, as
shown in Figure 4(a). High temperature areas are
not suitable for the agriculture due to environmen-
tal deterioration. Thus, areas with higher tempera-
tures (>28) were given the least preference for
agriculture, while areas with a temperature <27.5
assigned the maximum weightage (Table 3).
 Cogent Food & Agriculture 7

Figure 4. Map of temperature, rainfall, slope and LULC in Multan region.

Table 3. Description and weights of temperature, rainfall, slope and LULC in Multan region.
No Factors Criteria Sub-criteria Description Weights
1 Climatic data Temperature <27 Highly suitable 0.15
27–27.5 Moderately suitable
27.5–28 Low suitable
>28 Not suitable
2 Climatic data Rainfall <100 Highly suitable 0.13
100–125 Moderately suitable
125–150 Low suitable
>150 Not suitable
3 Topographic Slope < 15 Highly suitable 0.08
15–30 Moderately suitable
30–45 Low suitable
>45 Not suitable
4 Environmental LULC Vegetation Highly suitable 0.22
Bare soil Moderately suitable
Water bodies Low suitable
Build-up Not suitable

3.6. Rainfall 3.7. Slope

Rainfall is another important climatic criterion for
planning the agriculture. Point data for the rainfall
was downloaded from NASA site and converted into
GIS climate. High rainfall areas are highly suitable for
the agriculture while the low rainfall area is least
preference for agriculture. The area was divided into
four rainfall sub-criteria < 100 mm, 100–125 mm,
125–150 mm and >150, as shown in Figure 4(b).
Thus, areas with less rainfall were given the least
preference for agriculture, while areas with rainfall >
150 were given the greatest weightage (Table 3).
Slope is an essential geomorphological factor for
agriculture land suitability. High slope degrees are
normally not suitable for agriculture owing to
increased drilling costs and deterioration factors.
Percentage slope determines how steep or flat the
surface is, higher the slope value means steeper the
terrain and low the slope value flatter the terrain.
Slope was extracted from DEM using spatial analyst
tool through its raster surface analysis. In this assess-
ment, slope layer was divided into four zones <15°,
15–30°, 30–45° and >40° (Figure 4(c)). Due to the
8 S. HUSSAIN ET AL.
above-mentioned assumptions, the highest prefer-
ence was given to the areas having slope values <15
and lowest weightage was assigned to the areas
with steeper slope values > 50 (Table 3).
3.8. LULC changes
In the present study, four LULC classes, namely,
agriculture area, water bodies, bare soil and built-up
area were identified (Figure 3(d)). Hence, the high-
est weightage was provided to the vegetated areas
while the lowest weightage was provided to water
bodies and build-ap land (Table 4). A supervised
classification technique was used for LULC classes
along with GIS software and additional information
for the study area. In our study area, vegetation
area was 153, 0629.88 ha (85.75%) followed by bare
soil 42,587 ha (2.38%). Built-up area was 187,949.66 ha
(10.53%), while the water bodies area was 239,
19.65 ha (1.32%) in Multan division (Table 4). The
LULC is a vital element in understanding the inter-
relationship between anthropogenic activities and
the environment. Therefore, local agriculture plan-
ners may assess past decisions using this knowl-
edge, as well as gain insight into the potential
impacts of their present decisions before they are
introduced.
3.9. Agriculture land suitability
The GIS based on the MCDA technique is useful for
agriculture land suitability. Hence, eight factors were
entered into the weighted overlay analysis and the
conclusive obtained output is illustrated in Figure 5.
This output was classified into five classes, ie (a)
highly suitable, (b) moderate suitable, (c) marginally
suitable, (d) less suitable and (e) not suitable. The
regions under these classes are given in Table 5. The
majority of Multan division is classified as highly suit-
able for agriculture; with 765,106.73 ha (42.86%) clas-
sified as very high suitability. On the basis of the
agriculture suitability index map, only a very high
and moderate suitability class was selected for the
agriculture activities. The high and moderate suitable
areas were 765,106.73 ha (42.86%) and 473,827.24 ha
Table 4. Area distribution of LULC in Multan region.
No LULC classes Area (ha) Area (%)
1 Vegetation area 1,530,629.88 85.75
2 Bare soil 42,587 2.38
3 Water bodies 23,919.65 1.34
4 Build-ap area 187,949.66 10.53
Total 1,785,086.19 100
(26.54%) respectively for the agriculture activities in
the study area. The marginal and less suitable areas
were 285,655.16 ha (16%) and 145,054.01 ha (8.13%)
respectively for the agriculture activities in Multan
division. Similarly, our analysis showed that
115,443.05 ha (6.47%) is not suitable for agriculture.
Agriculture suitability should not be near roads to
decrease harmful environmental effects and urban
areas. Agriculture land suitability analysis is a very
important approach by including the data from vari-
ous domains for example crop and soil information,
economics and social management, which have the
main influence on the urban regions. Highly
agriculture-suitable regions have no important limits
for current cropping patterns, for example, main
crops with potential of thorough agriculture, if irriga-
tion is available. Moderately agriculture-suitable
regions are also suitable for agriculture production
but proper management is necessary.
4. Discussion
In present research, agriculture land suitability anal-
ysis was carried out using the MCDA method, like
(AHP) and weighted overlay analysis in a GIS tools.
GIS based on MCDA technique is useful for agricul-
ture land suitability. Asase and Peterson (2019), has
studied general physical conditions such as topogra-
phy, elevation, aspect (orientation), LULC and
Distance from woody biomass sources, factors.
Secondly, costs include distance from railways,
power lines, water bodies, sewer water treatment
plants and community (Talib et al., 2019). The third
group was of environmental impacts on Wildlife
habitat/endangered species areas, wetland areas,
flood plain and public land suitable for woody
biomass-based ethanol plants. According to our
study, the high and moderate suitable areas were
765,106.73 ha (42.86%) and 473,827.24 ha (26.54%),
respectively, for the agriculture activities in study
area. Highly agriculture suitable regions have no
important limits for current cropping patterns, for
example, main crops with potential of thorough
agriculture.
Badr et al. (2018) carried out a suitability analysis
for determination of environmental factors and indica-
tors for Crimean juniper plant species in Acipayam
District, Turkey. The evaluated environmental variables
were elevation, slope, radiation index, topographic
position, landform characteristics and parent material
and plant species. Considering the provincial physical
and plant growing conditions, it was decided that soil
type, climate conditions and topographic variables will
 Cogent Food & Agriculture 9

Figure 5. Map of agriculture land suitability in study area.

land use for different crops. Geoinformatics allow an

Table 5. Area distribution for agriculture land suitability in
Multan region. assignment of spatial implications to LULC changes,
No Suitability classes Area (ha) Area (%) namely, population pressure, climate, terrain, etc.
1 High suitable 765,106.73 42.86 which is the driving forces of these changes (Chandio
2 Moderate suitable 473,827.24 26.54 et al., 2011; Kabir et al., 2017). The processes of sur-
3 Marginal suitable 285,655.16 16
4 Less suitable 145,054.01 8.13 face changes, identifying the characteristics and
5 Not suitable 115,443.05 6.47 quantitative analysis can be analyzed from the vari-
Total 1,785,086.19 100
ous periods of RS data.
In Pakistan, where agriculture is a cornerstone of
the economy, such analyses hold particular signifi-
be evaluated for the suitability criteria (Jamali et al.,
cance. By integrating diverse factors like soil quality,
2014). Conversely, various studies reported that less
climate conditions, water availability and terrain char-
than 10% of the available reported literature on RS
acteristics, agricultural land suitability analysis pro-
and agriculture fundamentally concentrate on crop- vides valuable insights for farmers, policymakers and
ping practices. This is fundamental for some, reasons, land managers. It guides crop selection, irrigation
including the capacity to pose the correct inquiries strategies and land-use planning, ultimately optimiz-
and utilize the proper apparatuses and profundity of ing agricultural productivity while minimizing envi-
examination in noting them and the capacity to ronmental impacts. Additionally, as climate change
deliver final results that fulfill worldwide guidelines for continues to pose challenges, these analyses help
cross-country correlations. anticipate and adapt to shifting agricultural condi-
Zeraatpisheh et al. (2017) reported the conven- tions, enhancing resilience in the face of evolving cli-
tional and digital soil mapping approaches to predict mate patterns. However, the success of such analyses
soil classes in Iran. According to Hussain, Lu, et al. hinges on reliable data, advanced technologies like
(2022), Multan division is the most productive land GIS and remote sensing and effective community
for the vegetation areas. Hussain, Ahmad, et al. engagement to ensure that local knowledge and
(2020) stated that awareness and perception about preferences are considered in decision-making.
climate change impacts have a major effect on farm- Appropriate utilization of fertilizer, furthermore, is
ers. Hussain, Mubeen, Ahmad, et al. (2022) stated considered an important function in increasing the
that climate change impacts can be measured from productivity of vegetation and providing heightened
the perspectives of perception and awareness. The yields (Singha et al., 2023). This can only be possible
information about land cover and agro-ecological with an acceptable understanding of climatic features
zone helps to identify the areas of change in a region and by presenting attention to agriculturalists about
10 S. HUSSAIN ET AL.
the most suitable fertilizer according to temperature
range of the cropping region (Alsafadi et al., 2023).
Fertilizers at low prices should be available so that
farmers can improve the productivity of the soil.
Preparation of the field and choosing seeds tolerable
to high temperatures is critical to get maximum yield.
It was observed that simple methods for ploughing
to shallow depth are used which is the reason for low
yield because deep ploughing improves the growth
and development of plants. The latest agricultural
methods and machinery should be used to increase
production. Hence, proper management of this vege-
tation cover, water resources and building area are
necessary, because these valuable plant and water
resources may soon be lost without proper manage-
ment. These resources may stop playing the neces-
sary role in agricultural production and the
socio-economic development of the region.
5. Conclusion
The study aims to support decision-makers, land use
planners and policymakers in making informed
choices about the allocation of land resources for
agricultural purposes. By integrating AHP and MCDA,
the methodology seeks to enhance the precision and
objectivity of the decision-making process, ultimately
contributing to sustainable agricultural practices and
land management. A number of environmental,
topographical, lithological and socio-economic
parameters were considered for the agriculture land
suitability in Southern Punjab (Pakistan). The agricul-
ture land suitability map indicated that the majority
of the areas were highly suitable for agriculture pur-
poses in Multan region. Only small patches were
found not suitable for agricultural activities. Almost
43% of the studied land was highly suitable for agri-
culture, 27% moderately suitable, 16% marginally
suitable, 8% less suitable and 6% was not suitable
for agriculture in the studied area. Most of the iden-
tified suitable land sites were found under agricul-
tural land use types and these sites lie in a vegetated
area. All the suitable lands had silty clay or clay type
soil texture. The present research also highlighted
the usage of spatial analysis processes in GIS for
selecting agricultural land. GIS has the capability to
handle a large number of datasets of spatial and
non-spatial data in a short period of time. In Pakistan,
where agriculture plays a pivotal role in the economy
and food security, the insights derived from land
suitability analysis are invaluable. However, it is
essential to continually update and refine these
assessments, incorporating local knowledge and
embracing technological advancements, to ensure
their ongoing relevance and effectiveness in guiding
responsible land use. As the global demand for food
surges and environmental concerns intensify, agricul-
tural land suitability analysis remains a crucial tool in
achieving the dual objectives of agricultural prosper-
ity and environmental sustainability. This study will
give us future predictions and areas which could be
used for agriculture. Finally, the federal government,
local government and city planners can also use the
results of this site selection analysis to guide and
make future decisions. Extend the research to pro-
vide policy recommendations based on the identified
suitable areas, helping policymakers in the formula-
tion of land use policies that promote sustainable
agriculture. As climate change continues to impact
agricultural practices, future studies can incorporate
climate change scenarios into the analysis. This
would involve assessing the resilience of identified
suitable areas to potential climate variations, ensur-
ing that the land remains viable for agriculture in the
long term.
Acknowledgements
The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of
Scientific Research at King Khalid University for funding
this work through Research Group under grant number
RGP1/440/44. The authors are also grateful to editors and
potential reviewers.
Authors’ contributions
Conceptualization and supervision: SH, WN and MM; writ-
ing review and editing: SH, WN, SF, AT, HGA, SK and HA;
data curation and formal analysis SH, WN, SF, AT, MM, SA,
JM, HGA, SK and HA; evidence collection, review and edit-
ing: SH, WN, JM, SF, AT, HA, SK and HGA.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the
author(s).
About the authors
Sajjad Hussain is PhD scholar in Department of
Environmental Science, COMSATS University Islamabad,
Vehari Campus. He published 20 research article in interna-
tional journals (with more than 75 Impact Factor) and 20
book chapter in international books. My research interests
are: Assessment of land surface temperature, land use land
cover changes, Cropping pattern, NDVI, NDBI, urban plan-
ning and management using remote sensing, MODIS, sen-
tinel as well as multi spectral remote sensing data.

Wajid Nasim Jatoi serving Department of Agronomy,
Faculty of Agriculture & Environment, The Islamia University
of Bahawalpur (IUB), Pakistan since November 21, 2019.
Before joining IUB, he served the Department of
Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad
(Vehari Campus), Pakistan for 08 years, and Quaid-i-Azam
University Islamabad, (Pakistan) for 01 year at different
positions. He published more than 100 peer reviewed
research publications (with more than 400 Impact Factor)
and organized more than 50 national and international
conferences/seminars/workshops and attended more than
50 national & international conferences/seminars/work-
shops as invited/keynote speaker, also write International
book “Building Climate Resilience in Agriculture” as first
editor published by Springer Nature.
Dr. Muhammad Mubeen has been working as Assistant
Professor at Department of Environmental Sciences,
COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus (Pakistan)
since July, 2014. His areas of interest include Agronomy,
Climate change and Agro-meteorology, Crop Growth
Modeling, Remote sensing and GIS and Water manage-
ment. He has over 60 publications in national and interna-
tional peer reviewed journals and books. He has expertise
in Cropping system model “Decision Support System for
Agro-technology Transfer (DSSAT) and GIS softwares
(ArcGIS and ERDAS). He is reviewer of many national and
international well-reputed journals. He is also editor of
international book.
Dr. Shah Fahad is working as Assistant Professor in the
Department of Agronomy, Abdul Wali Khan University
Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. He obtained his
PhD in Agronomy from Huazhong Agriculture University,
China, in 2015. After doing his postdoctoral research in
Agronomy at the Huazhong Agriculture University (2015–
17), he accepted the position of Assistant Professor at the
University of Haripur. He has published over 450
peer-reviewed papers (Impact factor 2334.31) with more
than 390 research and 60 review articles, on important
aspects of climate change, plant physiology and breeding,
plant nutrition, plant stress responses and tolerance mech-
anisms, and exogenous chemical priming-induced abiotic
stress tolerance.
Aqil Tariq received the Ph.D. degree in photogrammetry
and remote sensing from the State Key Laboratory of
Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping, and
Remote Sensing, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China, in 2021.
He is currently with the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries
and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University, Mississippi
State, MS, USA. He is the author of more than 130 journal
articles and conference proceedings papers. His research
interests include photogrammetry, precision agriculture,
3-D geoinformation, urban analytics, spatial analysis to
examine land use/land cover, geospatial data science, agri-
culture monitoring, natural hazards (forest fire, landslide,
droughts, and flood) forest monitoring, forest cover dynam-
ics, spatial statistics, multicriteria algorithms, ecosystem
sustainability, hazards risk reduction, statistical analysis,
and modeling using Python, R, and MATLAB.
Shankar Karuppannan is an Associate Professor in the
Department of Applied Geology, School of Applied Natural
Cogent Food & Agriculture 11
Sciences (SoANS), Adama Science and Technology, Adama,
Ethiopia. He is a Distinguished Adjunct Professor at the
Department of Research Analytics, Saveetha Institute of
Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Saveetha
University, Chennai-600077, Tamil Nadu, India. He has 15
years of experience in teaching and research. His research
interests include hydrogeology, environmental pollution,
geostatistics, remote sensing, and GIS applications to geol-
ogy, water, soil, natural hazards, agrarian, and environmen-
tal resources. He is an active researcher and has published
over 80 papers in peer-reviewed journals, 26 research
papers presented at national and international conferences
and seminars, 4 chapters in books, and 2 books.
Dr. Saeed Alqadhi is a distinguished academic and
researcher in the field of Civil Engineering, currently serv-
ing as the Dean at the College of Engineering, King Khalid
University, Saudi Arabia. He earned his Ph.D. in Civil
Engineering from Purdue University, USA, in 2018, and
holds a Master of Science in Engineering Management
from California State University, Northridge, USA. His pro-
fessional journey includes roles as an Assistant Professor
and lecturer in Civil Engineering at King Khalid University.
His research interests encompass transportation planning
and management, traffic safety, and econometric model-
ing. Dr. Alqadhi is also involved in consultancy work and
serves on various academic committees and professional
societies. He has authored numerous journal articles, con-
ference papers, and book chapters, focusing on topics like
transportation planning, traffic safety, and econometric
modeling. His research projects cover a wide range of
issues in civil engineering, including the impacts of high-
way maintenance, bridge surface maintenance, and land-
slide management using advanced technologies like deep
learning and artificial intelligence. His work is characterized
by a blend of practical engineering applications and inno-
vative research methodologies.
Prof. Dr. Javed Mallick is a renowned Professor in the
Department of Civil Engineering at King Khalid University,
Saudi Arabia, specializing in Geoinformatics. He earned his
Ph.D. from Jamia Millia Islamia, India, and his Master’s in
Geoinformatics from ITC, The Netherlands. Dr. Mallick’s
research focuses on environmental and hydrological stud-
ies, advanced remote sensing, GIS, and geostatistical anal-
ysis. He has an extensive publication record with 205
peer-reviewed papers and significant involvement in
undergraduate, postgraduate, and research grant projects.
Recognized for his excellence in teaching, academic devel-
opment, and research, Dr. Mallick has received numerous
institutional awards. He has also played key roles in quality
coordination and academic assessment within his univer-
sity and nationally, contributing notably to the field of
urban and water informatics. His influential work has
placed him among the “Top 2% Scientists in the world” in
Geological & Geomatics Engineering, as listed by Stanford
University for 2021 and 2022.
Dr. Hussein Almohamad received a PhD in Physical
Geography from Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany
in 2009. He is a full professor at the Department of
Geography, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. His research
12 S. HUSSAIN ET AL.
interests include climatology, physical and human hazards,
hydrology, data visualization and remote sensing.
Dr. Hazem Ghassan Abdo is a faculty member with a Ph.D.
completed at the Geography Department, Tartous
University, Syria. He earned his Ph.D. in Physical Gheography
from Damascus University, Syria, in 2020, and holds a
Master of Science in Physical Gheography from Tishreen
University, Syria. His main research interests are the use of
Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems for
applications in the terrestrial environment to enhance the
understanding of the Earth system processes, in the con-
text of environmental and geomorphological shifts, which
significantly interests him.
Funding
The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of
Scientific Research at King Khalid University for funding
this work through Small Groups Project under grant num-
ber RGP 1/440/44.
ORCID
Hazem Ghassan Abdo http://orcid.
org/0000-0001-9283-3947
Data availability statement
The data that support the findings of this study are avail-
able on request from the corresponding author.
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