Multi-Criteria Decision Making and GIS Approached Land Suitability Analysis for
Pearl Millet Cultivation in Banka Block of Banka District, Bihar

Land suitability analysis, an important aspect used in land use planning, and provides an
integrated information for land resources management. Hence, the main objective of the
study is to analyze the land suitability for the pearl millet crop of Banka block using
Geographical Information System (GIS) and Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM)
approaches. To fulfill the objectives, there are 9 parameters, viz., land use and land cover,
elevation, slope, soil texture, pH, EC, OC, temperature, and precipitation were considered.
However, satellite imageries of Land sat-8 (2022) and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission
(SRTM) data were employed to assess the physiography, elevation, slope, and land use/land
cover pattern under RS-GIS domain. The results revealed that out of the total geographical
area (114.95 km 2 ), only 25.01 % of the land in the northern part of the study area is highly
suitable (S1), followed by 41.21% of the land found to be moderately suitable (S2) in the
middle portion, and 12.32 % of the land is marginally suitable (S3) which is in the southwest
part for pearl millet. The remaining land (21.5 %) was found to be not suitable (S4) due to the
presence of bed rock, hilly terrain, built-up lands, and water bodies. The integration of soil,
climate, and topographic parameters has aided in mapping the suitable lands for pearl millet.
This information may be beneficial for farmers' advisory services and as a database for
further utilization in land-use planning.