Mapping areas suitable for agriculture and their accessibility: The case of the centre region of Cameroon

Abstract

Given the pressure on land in the Central Region due to economic development and the search for opportunities, the best land for agriculture needs to be identified, so as to preserve it from urbanization, the expansion of mining areas, infrastructure and other occupations. It is in this context that the issue of mapping to identify agricultural zones and assess their accessibility was raised. This is an opportune moment to feed reflections on planning, agricultural production and natural resource management in the Center Region of Cameroon. GIS-based multi-criteria spatial analysis of data on land use, hydrographic network, slopes, soils and their suitability for cultivation provided precise, geolocalized information on land potentially suitable for agriculture in general. Following the analyses, we were able to establish and highlight the areas suitable for agriculture and accessible, which amounted to 8%, or 5662.42 km2 for high-potential and accessible areas. This was followed by 56%, or 37144.95 km2 for medium-potential and accessible zones, and finally 6%, or 4238.93 km2 for low-potential and accessible zones. Once the accessible areas had been removed, 5% or 3028.27 km2 of high-potential inaccessible areas remained, 19%, that is 14639.46 km2 of medium-potential inaccessible areas and 2% that is 967.12km2 of low-potential inaccessible areas.