MULTICRITERIA-BASED SITE SUITABILITY ASSESSMENT FOR COFFEE CULTIVATION IN LOW AND MID HILLS OF HIMACHAL PRADESH

Abstract

Coffee is emerging as a promising diversification crop in the subtropical low and mid-hill zones of Himachal Pradesh. There has been limited systematic assessment of spatial suitability of coffee for sustainable scaling up. The present study included climatic, physiographic and edaphic variables in a GIS based multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) framework for delineating potential sites for coffee cultivation in seven districts of Himachal Pradesh (Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Una, Kangra, Mandi, Solan and Sirmaur). Sentinel 2A/B images were used to map land use/land cover (LULC). Terrain parameters (elevation, slope and aspect) were derived from CartoSat-1 DEM. Climate layers (temperature, rainfall) were obtained from IMD and WorldClim data. Soil data (pH, EC, organic carbon and available NPK) were collected from secondary sources and field sampling. Re-grouped criteria based on coffee-specific threshold and weighted through Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The composite suitability maps were generated through weighted overlay of layers using ArcGIS 10.8 with four classes, namely, Highly Suitable (S1), Moderately Suitable (S2), Marginally Suitable (S3), and Not Suitable (N). The findings show that only a small part of the research area located at mid-elevation belts is classified as S1 for Arabica. Large parts of it are marginal (S3) or unsuitable (S4) due to steep slopes, shallow or degraded soils or unfavourable climate conditions. Robusta has a broader climatic range but still is constrained by soil and topographic conditions. Planners and extension agencies can use suitability maps developed as a spatial decision support framework to target coffee expansion in favourable zones in Himachal Pradesh.