Application of Geoinformatics for Site Assessment of Large Scale Organic Agriculture Plot

Abstract

To enhance organic agriculture promoted by the Governmental policy, Nong Wang Sok Phra Sub-district, Phon District, Khon Kaen Province, Thailand has designated an organic agriculture plot covering the area of 681.50 hectare. It is, however, necessary to identify the suitable organic agriculture in conjunction with large scale by integrating Geoinformatics and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. The study process consisted of creating a boundary study area map by topography, georeferencing and Land use classification, validating the study area to verify Land use  by video record and field observation, assessing the validated study area/Land use map plot by vector analysis through QGIS to create the potential suitable large scale organic agriculture categorizing as the moderate and the least suitable area 151.82 hectare, 89.93 hectare and 34.05 hectare, being equivalent to 55.05%, 32.61% and 12.35% of total suitable area, respectively; validating the potential suitable large scale organic agriculture plot by focus group interview based on the most suitable area, processing UAV imagery and parcel maps. The output was the suitable organic agriculture plot accepted by the organic agriculture members, located at Ban Kok Lam Village no.3, covering  the area of 20.64 hectare, where was only 13.60 %of the most suitable agriculture area. The large scale criteria could not be attained due to the accepted organic agriculture area was lower than the large scale standard of 48 hectare. By the mean of this study, the most suitable organic agriculture plot of151.82 hectare was available for the large scale organic agriculture plot. That would enable Nong Wang Sok Phra Sub-district to carry on for enhancement of the large scale organic agriculture plot.