Need for Land Use Model to Guide Planning

A tool for land use analysis that generates natural resource management options is needed to guide policy changes, and to assess the scope of agricultural systems beyond the constraints of current policies.

Model Developed for Tropical Asia

In collaboration with `Systems Research Network for Eco-regional Land Use Planning in Support of Natural Resource Management in Tropical Asia' (SysNet), a user-friendly computer model for exploratory agricultural land use planning has been developed, assessed and tested in a localized regional setting. It was based on an exploratory land use study approach, and employed the `Interactive Multiple Goals Linear Programming (IMGLP)' optimization model. The model is called `Land Use Planning and Analysis System (LUPAS)'. It employed the following inputs; a) objective functions, b) land units c) land evaluation, d) resource balance (land, water and labor), e) promising land use types and production technology, f) agricultural inputs and outputs, and g) market demand for agricultural products. The model simulates current and future scenarios with a built-in capability for handling `what-if' questions. A prototype model has been developed using optimization software with links to a spreadsheet, where input data are retrieved and the results of optimizations are saved. It is also linked to GIS databases for spatial display of the results.

User-Friendly Interface

A user-friendly interface has also been built using a local web server, to provide easy running of the model and retrieval of the results. The output is in the form of tables, charts and maps. The prototype also offers facilities for comparing results between model runs.

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