A method for assessing and revitalizing non-productive or underutilized agricultural land for alternative rural development: a case study

In the past, models for assessing natural resource potential were restricted by lack of high resolution data and cumbersome manual data handling techniques. There have been many resource assessment models created to handle large scale resource assessment for developing landscape planning and management objectives. This study addresses the urgent need to look at the intermediate scale in identifying sites accurately for a broad range of potential economic, recreational or a combination of alternative land uses. It develops a methodology for identifying and assessing non-productive or underutilized agricultural land for alternative rural development incorporating market analysis procedures to assess viability of alternative scenarios. This study utilizes a computer based Geographic Information System (GIS) including the use of SPOT image data and a sophisticated resource model to assess suitability for alternative agricultural uses of a 170 acre site in southern Indiana. The results of this study indicate that with simultaneous use and development of GIS, assessment models can be developed to make accurate assessment and cost effective evaluations of non-productive agricultural lands at the site specific scale. -from Authors