Application of GIS to Agricultural Land Suitability Mapping in Kwara State

Agricultural land suitability assessment provides the spatial intelligence needed to direct farming investment toward high-productivity zones while protecting fragile ecosystems in Nigeria's food belt. This study applies GIS to agricultural land suitability mapping in Kwara State, situated in the North Central geopolitical zone, using a combination of biophysical and infrastructure criteria. Spatial layers including soil type, slope, rainfall, drainage, distance to markets, and road accessibility are obtained from multiple sources including the Federal Department of Agriculture, the National Meteorological Agency, and the SRTM DEM archive. A multi-criteria weighted overlay is implemented in ArcGIS to derive a composite suitability map for rain-fed arable farming, classified into five suitability classes from highly suitable to unsuitable. The FAO land evaluation framework is adapted as the conceptual basis for class definitions. Results indicate that over 42 percent of Kwara's total land area falls within the highly suitable and moderately suitable classes, concentrated in the Isin, Irepodun, and Ekiti LGAs along the southern zone. Waterlogged fadama zones in the north, while locally suitable for irrigated agriculture, require specific management interventions to realise their potential. The study provides the Kwara State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development with a prioritisation framework for government-supported farming cluster development. Keywords: land suitability, GIS, agriculture, Kwara State, multi-criteria evaluation.