Assessment of land potential for food crop development in the karst landscape of Gunungsewu hills, Indonesia

Afifatul Husna Al Adilah; Bayu Dwi Apri Nugroho; Junun Sartohadi; Edwin Maulana; Dimas Maula Hayat

doi:10.24057/2071-9388-2026-4124

Assessment of land potential for food crop development in the karst landscape of Gunungsewu hills, Indonesia

Afifatul Husna Al Adilah, Bayu Dwi Apri Nugroho, Junun Sartohadi, Edwin Maulana, Dimas Maula Hayat

https://doi.org/10.24057/2071-9388-2026-4124

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Abstract

Gunungkidul region in Indonesia, though considered arid and agriculturally limited, has shown notable productivity in food crops, especially upland rice, cassava, groundnut, and maize cultivation. Main challenges of agricultural development in this region are limited accessibility to land due to its hilly and steep topography, as well as water scarcity. Accurate land-use planning tools are needed to allocate land resources to support regional agricultural activity. Therefore, a systematic assessment of land potential for food crop agriculture is needed using geoinformation techniques to enable well-planned development. This study segmented research area into doline units as mapping units. Accessibility, soil, and water factors were employed in evaluating land potential classes. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method was used to determine the weights of parameters and parameter classes scores for each factor. Potential of dolines for food crop agriculture in Gunungkidul was assessed using 10 parameters including distance from road, distance from settlements, area of doline’s valley, rasio of valley’s area and doline’s area, soil depth, soil texture, pH, Soil Organic Matter (SOM), Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), and uppermost rock. Among these parameters, distance from roads (weight: 0.26), distance from settlements (weight: 0.20), and doline valley area (weight: 0.14) were identified as the most significant accessibility factors. Results indicated that 52% of the karst and karstic areas of Gunungkidul, characterized by arid hills, have potential for food crop agriculture development. This study provides valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders aiming to promote sustainable agricultural systems in karst landscapes more broadly in arid regions.

Keywords

agriculture, doline, food crop, karst, Gunungsewu hills

About the Authors

Afifatul Husna Al Adilah

Program of Geo-Information for Spatial Planning and Disaster Risk Management, Universitas Gadjah Mada; Indonesia Universitas Gadjah Mada
Indonesia

Jl. Teknika Utara, Yogyakarta, 55284;

Jl. Flora, Bulaksumur, Yogyakarta, 55281

Bayu Dwi Apri Nugroho

Department of Agriculture and Biosystem Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Universitas Gadjah Mada
Indonesia

Jl. Flora, Bulaksumur, Yogyakarta,55281

Junun Sartohadi

Program of Geo-Information for Spatial Planning and Disaster Risk Management, Universitas Gadjah Mada; Indonesia Universitas Gadjah Mada; Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Gadjah Mada
Russian Federation

Jl. Teknika Utara, Yogyakarta, 55284;

Jl. Flora, Bulaksumur, Yogyakarta, 55281

Edwin Maulana

Program of Geo-Information for Spatial Planning and Disaster Risk Management, Universitas Gadjah Mada; Indonesia Universitas Gadjah Mada
Russian Federation

Jl. Teknika Utara, Yogyakarta, 55284;

Jl. Flora, Bulaksumur, Yogyakarta, 55281

Dimas Maula Hayat

Program of Geo-Information for Spatial Planning and Disaster Risk Management, Universitas Gadjah Mada; Indonesia Universitas Gadjah Mada
Russian Federation

Jl. Teknika Utara, Yogyakarta, 55284;

Jl. Flora, Bulaksumur, Yogyakarta, 55281

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For citations:

Al Adilah A., Nugroho B., Sartohadi J., Maulana E., Hayat D. Assessment of land potential for food crop development in the karst landscape of Gunungsewu hills, Indonesia. GEOGRAPHY, ENVIRONMENT, SUSTAINABILITY. 2026;19(2):53-66. https://doi.org/10.24057/2071-9388-2026-4124

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