Land evaluation is part of the process of land use planning. The essence of land evaluation is to compare or match the requirements of each potential land use with the characteristics of each kind of land. The ultimate evaluation will be the evaluation of the needs with the potential and the creation of a selected land use plan. The process is a series of steps that are not necessarily dependent on each other. Most of the data collected here will be of relevance when drawing up the land use management plan.
1. Collect Data
The kind of data needed can be summarized as follows;
physical land resources information, i.e., climatic data (notably on rainfall, evapotranspiration and temperature patterns), edaphic (soil), physiographic and hydrologic characteristics;
present types of land use in the area;
existing restrictions, such as the occurrence of pests and diseases, flooding or climatic (frost) hazards;
present infrastructure;
socio-economic issues of population, tenure, legal constraints and development objectives (with policies if available);
maps, photographs, title deeds;
other legal issues of relevant institutions; and
authority to subdivide.
The range of data that could be relevant to land evaluation is huge, and collecting it can be costly, in terms of both time and money. There are three ways to minimise the costs;
focus on data that is essential to the evaluation;
search out and make maximum use of existing data; and
use appropriate technology in data collection.
The use of remote sensing imagery of an appropriate scale is encouraged to limit the time that may need to be spending in the field.
2. Identify Potential Land Uses
A piece of land can often be put to one of several possible uses - but rarely with the same degree of success. One of the objectives of land evaluation is to inform this choice by assessing the suitability of a use for each land unit, and visa versa. This process, therefore, identifies what land use a unit of land would be suitable for.
In a reconnaissance study it may be sufficient to identify possible land uses in general terms. The key major land use types are;
rainfed agriculture (known as dryland agriculture in South Africa);
irrigated agriculture;
extensive grazing (for livestock or game farming);
forestry;
fisheries;
protected areas for conservation purposes such as wildlife reserves, forest reserves nature reserves, etc.; and
build-up areas, such as urban areas, settlements and industrial areas
In detailed studies, for example intensive irrigation farms, the land use types have to be more carefully defined. Their definition must include details not only of the produce foreseen but also of the production method and the socio-economic setting (this includes an economic feasibility assessment).
The aim is to recognise and describe land utilization types that are either in existence or that could be developed in as much as detail as possible.
3. Identify Land Units - Land Capability
Classes
Land units are areas of land with more or less homogenous characteristics. They are normally represented within a boundary on a map in order to create visually a geographical framework. Any area of land with similar characteristics adequately described can be regarded as a land unit.
In practice, land units are often described by superimposing maps of different aspects of land - such as climate, soils, vegetation and physiography (notably slope angle) - and then drawing new boundaries that best reflects the distinctions in the separate maps. A Geographic Information System (GIS) is commonly used for this purpose.
The Land Capability Classification Systems assesses the differences and gives a rating to an area based on differentiating criteria. These techniques are well documented with the most detailed being those of the Kwa-Zulu Natal Department of Agriculture.
Once the capability classification is done, the resulting classification represents land units with characteristics and qualities that differ sufficiently from those of other land units and this determines the suitability of the farm for different types of land uses for example, subdivision.
4. Assess Land Suitability
Suitability is a measure of how well the qualities of a land unit match the requirements of a particular form of land use. Suitability is assessed for each relevant land use type and each land unit identified in the study.
It is often possible to change the qualities that render land suitable or not for the requirements of the particular land use. Swampy land can be drained, steep land can be terraced, ploughed land can be planted to pastures and so on, but all at an additional cost. Obviously there is a point where this becomes uneconomical. This will depend on the revenues that can be generated from the envisaged type of land use (economic feasibility study).
5. Identify Environmental and Socio-Economic
Issues
Before a commonage project can be recommended for development the environmental and socio-economic implications must be evaluated further. Since most land reform for production will not result in a significant change of land use it is not foreseen that EIAs will normally be required. Only under special circumstances where it can be assumed that the envisaged type of land use will have a major impact on the environment will such a study be required. For example, intensive small-irrigated farms change the pattern of water distribution and use in an area and this can change the quality and quantity of the water on offer to those downstream. These effects can cause a significant change to the environment and therefore the requirements of an Environmental Impact Assessment (E.I.A.) will have to be met and conducted as part of this step.
However, there might be other less noticeable environmental effects that need to be assessed. For example, pollution of water resources due to fertilizer and pesticides or overcrowding in the case of feedlots.
6. Identify Feasible Options
Once the evaluation process is completed, the next step is effective decision-making. The best options in terms of the stated objectives have to be selected. In general this will entail:
a review of the objectives in order to select the options which have the potential to produce the required outputs - according to market needs or the needs of the beneficiaries ;
a review of each promising land use option (based on land evaluation); and
an assessment of the socio-economic conditions/implications of each option.
The procedure must involve all stakeholders, and in the case of state land the locally elected rural councillors as representatives of the lowest form of government.
The result of the process will be a final land reform proposal with clarity on the survey, registration and selling procedure. The project can then move to stage 1 of the implementation phase.
Once the decision is made on the feasible option, then the development, survey and erection of infrastructure on the land must take place. This effectively ends the planning process. The next step is the development and execution of the resource development plan.