The role of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in sustainable agriculture: Assessing soil fertility and land use changes

Abstract

Sustainable agriculture demands accurate, spatially explicit, and timely information about soil fertility and land-use dynamics. Geographic Information Systems (GIS), often combined with remote sensing (RS), have emerged as powerful tools for mapping, monitoring, and analysing soil properties and land-use/land-cover (LULC) changes over time. This review synthesises recent advances in the use of GIS for soil fertility assessment and land use change analysis within the context of sustainable agriculture. We examine methodologies for generating soil-fertility maps, conducting land suitability analysis, and detecting changes; discuss applications such as precision agriculture, land management, and resource allocation; and evaluate their limitations and prospects. Drawing on global studies and examples from India — including watershed-scale fertility mapping and agricultural land loss due to urbanisation — we demonstrate how GIS-driven insights support decision-making for agricultural sustainability. The review concludes by highlighting future directions: integration with other technologies, improved data collection, and institutional adoption for large-scale sustainable land management.