Elaboration d' une methode quantitative et globale d' evaluation de l' aptitude des terres a l' agriculture: application a la Region wallonne (Belgique)

Setting up a quantitative method for a global evaluation of farmland: application to the Walloon Region (Belgium). To counteract the wasteful use of good quality farmlands by other land uses, we have developed a quantitative method for land evaluation. By splitting up soil map symbols, we have drawn up suitabilility maps for cultivation and for grazing. Farming factors, such as slope, closeness to the farmhouses and size of the farmland blocks, were integrated in the soil suitability map with the help of a geographic information system. The multiplication of the weighted coefficients linked to these factors lead to a global farmland evaluation map. This method has been tested in 10 districts of the Walloon Region. Results seem to be close to farmers practices. The validation problems of this map and the benefits of a factorial and quantitative method are also discussed in this paper.