Spatial Analysis

The outcome of my project showed me that distance from water is a much larger issue than high population density.  If we compare Check1.rst to Check2.rst, it becomes apparent that Check2.rst resembles the trend found in Agri.rst much closer than Check1.rst.  Water needed for irrigation is much more important, and so in order to farm, farmers must migrate to an area closer to a main water source.  That is, distance to water controls the farming population.

Another thing to note would be the fact that too many constraints on the data cause the areas of land that are most suitable for farming to drop drastically.  Therefore, compromises must be made when not all factors are present in an area.  The so-called "perfect place" rarely exists, and so we make up for what we don't have.  In a continent such as Africa, where agriculture is crucial to the survival of its population, these compromises are made (see Agri.rst compared with Check3.rst).  It is rare that everything is readily available to a population all the time.

When looking at the fuzzy map and Agribool.rst, the results also show that one of the better places to produce agricultural products in Africa is in the rainforest.  Although current agricultural practices do show patches of agriculture existing in these forested regions, the fuzzy map and Agribool.rst show too much of this region as being suitable.  From the current agricultural practices map, it seems as though localized farming takes place in the rainforest, and my final maps do not recognize this localized trend of farming.  These areas are regarded as suitable because conditions existing in the forest are much better than conditions elsewhere (like in the deserts), however, in the forest lies the threat of deforestation, desertification (exploitation of vegetation and animal species), and soil erosion.  Therefore, if farming is done in this region, it must be done with caution, and carried out on a local scale.

Lastly, I had expected to see more suitability existing on the Nile river delta, however, the data I used would not have recognized the special characteristics of the sediment that make this region a good place for agricultural production.  I was without a soils layer, and therefore, this type of data was not incorporated into my project.  I was only working with data that would give me conditions needed for agricultural practices to exist.

Check1.rst Check2.rst Agri.rst Check3.rst AfricaWLC.rst Agribool.rst
 

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