Geospatial Assessment of Agricultural Land Suitability in IFE South, Osun State, Nigeria

This study assessed agricultural land suitability in Ife South Local Government Area, Osun State, Nigeria using GIS and Analytical Hierarchy Process methodology (AHP). Seven environmental variables—soil moisture, land surface temperature, land use/land cover, precipitation, slope, elevation, and soil organic carbon—were all sourced from Google Earth Engine (GEE) datasets and integrated through Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) to generate a suitability map. Results classified the area into five suitability categories: 8.4% very high suitability, 21% high suitability, 31% moderate suitability, 26% marginal suitability, and 13% low suitability. Areas deemed unsuitable were primarily characterized by urban development, insufficient soil moisture, and elevated land surface temperature. The findings indicate approximately 60% of the study area is suitable for agricultural production at varying levels, providing valuable guidance for sustainable agricultural planning and supporting local smallholder farmers in optimizing land resource utilization. Limitations include potential bias in variable weighting, inherent errors in GEE-sourced remote sensing data, and the absence of crop-specific suitability assessments that could further refine agricultural recommendations.