In Albania, agriculture provides 50% of jobs and 19% of GDP. Of the total agricultural area of 695,000 ha (24% of the country’s area), 80% is privately owned and 20% is state-owned (Source: National Strategy for Irrigation and Drainage 2019-2031, Action Plan). Among all crops, cereals (corn, wheat, barley, etc.) are the most important food crops, which form the basis of the diet and are essential for our economy. They provide sufficient nutritional calories and about half of the population’s protein needs. However, cereal production remains at a problematic level relative to consumption, covering about 40% of needs, while the rest is imported. Wheat has seen the most significant decline in cultivated area, especially since the area under wheat has decreased by 35% compared to 2005 (Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, 2022). To increase grain production, it is therefore necessary to find the most suitable sites for growing grain. A careful evaluation of the land would directly contribute to reducing the production challenge.
Crop suitability analysis is the process of assessing the suitability of a particular land type based on the growing conditions of a particular crop. Suitability is a function of two components: (i) soil/land characteristics and (ii) crop requirements. Suitability results from the match of soil/land characteristics with crop requirements (FAO 1976). The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO 1976, 2007) recommended an approach to assessing land suitability for crops in terms of suitability ratings. Ratings range from highly suitable to unsuitable based on climate and terrain data as well as soil properties and socio-economic data. In order to facilitate the FAO principles, concepts and theories for assessing land suitability for crops, numerous technologies (Geographic Information System, Remote Sensing) and methodologies (Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM), Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)) are used. The application of these technologies and methodologies is widespread among researchers worldwide.
Currently, there are no studies and researches on the suitability of agricultural land for cereal cultivation in Albania. As a result, some of these crops are grown on agricultural land whose suitability has not been assessed and on lands degraded due to mismanagement and lack of fertility. Therefore, the agricultural land use model should be adjusted according to its suitability potential. There is also a lack of information at the community level. The amount, location and suitability level of agricultural land is incomplete and not documented. In addition, the analysis of agricultural land suitability is a necessary prerequisite to make optimal use of the available agricultural land for sustainable agricultural production. In order to have a direct influence on the farmer and make decisions about the cultivation of certain crops, a new research method (GIS-based) for assessing the suitability of agricultural land is required, which is used in this research.