Greenhouse location using geographical infirmation systems and multi-criteria method: The case of Aksu

With the ongoing population growth in our country, as in the world, the need for food also increases over time. With the increase in food demand, existing agricultural practices are insufficient, which increases the need for imported products. What is important for countries is to be able to meet their own basic nutrients as well as to export to contribute to the economy. While greenhouse cultivation ensures the continuity of the production of seasonal plants throughout the year, it also provides benefits for the products to take place in the market at an affordable price. However, greenhouse locations should be determined by considering geographical and human factors. Irreversible damages occur because of natural disasters in the greenhouses established without considering the suitable conditions for the greenhouse and the climatic conditions of the region. At the same time, the need for heating will increase the energy usage. In this context, it is very important to establish the greenhouses where they can benefit from solar energy. The aim of this study is to determine the suitability of Aksu district, which is one of the regions where intensive agricultural practices are made with its arable lands, for greenhouse cultivation by considering its topographic and climatic characteristics. Since many factors are important in determining greenhouse areas, the decision-making process becomes complex. AHP, which is one of the MCDM techniques, is one of the most used methods to make an easy decision out of this complexity. In this study, 12 criteria were determined for the selection of greenhouse areas. These criteria are slope, aspect, proximity to water, road and population density, soil characteristics, humidity, precipitation, temperature, insolation intensity, insolation radiation and wind intensity. Wind intensity, high slope and heavy rainfall are undesirable features. All criteria were evaluated in order of importance with each other, and a criteria table was created. In the table, all criteria are weighted by evaluating between 0 and 9 according to the degree of importance. By overlaying the created layers with their weight values in the GIS software, a result map was created by masking the natural protection areas and wetlands among the "areas whose agricultural quality will be preserved in Aksu district according to the 1/25000 scaled landscaping plan. In the result map created according to the study area, 411.71 ha of the study area, which has an area of 2,769.4 ha, is the most suitable, 216.42 ha is suitable, 155.04 ha is medium suitable, and 751.61 ha is the most suitable. It has been determined that the area is less suitable, and 136.51 ha consists of unsuitable (8.17%) areas. It was observed that the area of 1.098.12 ha was excluded from the evaluation because of the AHP application. It is thought that the desired results have been achieved in line with the determined criteria. It is thought that this study can be applied not only to greenhouse cultivation but also to every product in line with the criteria to be determined for the product and will guide other studies.