A framework for land evaluation


Table of contents


FAO Soils bulletin 32

Soil resources development and conservation service land and water development division

FAO AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Rome 1976

First printing 1976
Second printing 1981

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

M-51
ISBN 92-5-100111-1

All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Applications for such permission, with a statement of the purpose and extent of the reproduction, should be addressed to the Director, Publications Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Via delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy.

© FAO 1976


Contents


Preface

Chapter 1: The nature and principles of land evaluation

1.1 General
1.2 The aims of land evaluation
1.3 Land evaluation and land use planning
1.4 Principles
1.5 Levels of intensity and approaches
1.6 The nature of the framework

Chapter 2: Basic concepts

2.1 General
2.2 Land
2.3 Land use
2.4 Land characteristics, land qualities and diagnostic criteria
2.5 Requirements and limitations
2.6 Land improvements
2.7 Land suitability and land capability

Chapter 3: Land suitability classifications

3.1 General
3.2 Structure of the suitability classification
3.3 The range of classifications
3.4 The results of land suitability evaluation

Chapter 4: Land evaluation procedures

4.1 General
4.2 Initial consultations
4.3 Kinds of land use and their requirements and limitations
4.4 Description of land mapping units and land qualities
4.5 Comparison of land use with land
4.6 Economic and social analysis
4.7 Land suitability classification
4.8 Synopsis of procedures
4.9 Presentation of results

Chapter 5: Examples

5.1 General
5.2 Land uses and land qualities in Brazil
5.3 Smallholders, oil palm cultivation in Surinam
5.4 Land utilization types in Kenya
5.5 Location as a land quality

Glossary

References

The FAO soils bulletins