Open AccessLand Suitability for Potential Jatropha Plantation in Malaysia
Author(s) -
Ernieza Suhana Mokhtar,
Norshahirah Akhir,
Nurul Ain Mohd Zaki,
Farrah Melissa Muharam,
Biswajeet Pradhan,
Usman Salihu Lay
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
iop conference series. earth and environmental science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.179
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 1755-1307
pISSN - 1755-1315
DOI - 10.1088/1755-1315/620/1/012002
Subject(s) - jatropha , jatropha curcas , geospatial analysis , bioenergy , geographic information system , land cover , renewable energy , analytic hierarchy process , biodiesel , agroforestry , environmental science , agricultural engineering , land use , geography , remote sensing , mathematics , engineering , microbiology and biotechnology , civil engineering , operations research , biochemistry , chemistry , electrical engineering , biology , catalysis
Malaysia has embarked on several initiatives and policies towards renewable energy for improving quality. Jatropha Curcas is an oil seed-bearing plant, which potentially yields as a source of energy in the form of biodiesel. However, research on the determination of the potentially suitable area of Jatropha plant can be allocated still limited. This study aims to carry out a land suitability study on the Jatropha plantation using the geospatial technique such as Geographical Information System (GIS) and remote sensing. To achieve the aim, the objectives of this study are to i) determine significant weightage of parameters for Jatropha plantation and ii) identify the suitable location Jatropha plantation. The study area is carried out at peninsular Malaysia, and five (5) variables such as rainfall, temperature, land-use, soil and elevation data were used to achieve the analysis. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP), in the combination of Geographical Information System (GIS) methods, was applied to compute the weightage of the selected criteria, which is in geospatial data types. A map of the potential Jatropha location was generated using the criteria weightage. This study can help the cultivation of Jatropha in suitable areas and may reduce the burden on fossil fuels. It can assist smallholder-based initiatives to promote Jatropha cultivation on farmer-owned to enhance their living circumstances.