Determination of suitable areas for walnut cultivation in kirşehir province using geographical information systems

In this study, Geographic Information System (GIS)-based analytical methods were employed to identify suitable areas for walnut (Juglans regia L.) cultivation in Kırşehir Province. Within this scope, a total of 14 different criteria were evaluated, including climatic factors (annual total precipitation, minimum temperature, number of days below 5°C, spring relative humidity, and summer relative humidity), topographic features (slope and aspect), soil properties (organic matter, pH, clay, silt, and sand), settlements, transportation networks, and water resources. Settlements and transportation networks were considered exclusionary factors. Climatic data were obtained from the Kırşehir Provincial Directorate of Meteorology and spatially interpolated using the Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) method in ArcGIS Pro 3.2 software. Topographic data (slope and aspect) were acquired from the USGS Earth Explorer platform. Geographic data such as settlements, roads, and water bodies were obtained from the open-source provider OpenStreetMap (OSM). Soil properties of the area were derived from the SoilGrids 2.0 dataset, developed by the International Soil Reference and Information Centre (ISRIC), which provides spatial data at a 250 m resolution. All data layers were weighted using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method and combined through Weighted Overlay Analysis to generate a land suitability map. This study contributes to identifying suitable areas for walnut cultivation and highlights the importance of GIS-based decision support systems in agricultural planning and sustainability. As a result, it has been determined that 3.31% (21.741,11 ha) of the total area of Kırşehir Province is highly suitable for walnut cultivation. As a result of the study, it was determined that 3.31% (21.741,11 ha) of the total area of Kırşehir province is highly suitable for walnut cultivation, 8.63% (56.789,07 ha) is moderately suitable, and 26.90% (177.149,76 ha) is marginally suitable.