AN ATTEMPT TO ASSESS LAND SUITABILITY FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES ON THE BASIS OF PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS ANALYSIS

Abstract

The spatial fluctuations of the integrated complex of soil - climatic variables controls, more or less, the territorial variability of agricultural production and productivity. The latter also depends on the interference intensity of the economical and social variables. Principal components analysis provides a rigorous and objective quantification of these fluctuations, by means of selecting the relevant variables and assessing their relative significance in respect to the land utilization type. In this way, principal components analysis may be able to successfully solve the main problem which has hindered the elaboration of a land evaluation system with global applicability, that is the problem of production factor's quantitative (number) and qualitative (type, suitability thresholds) regional specificity. The present article attempts to demonstrate, by means of an guiding application, that this methodological path is worth exploring.