Selecting Suitable Sites for Pig Production Using a Raster GIS in Xinluo Watershed in Southeast China

Due to the rapid growth in the number and size of intensive animal industries in China, the resulting decline in air, soil and water quality has necessitated the development of sustainable animal production management strategies. The most important criterion for sustainable animal production is the selection of appropriate land areas, which meet several biophysical, environmental and socio-economic restrictions. Geographic Information System (GIS) that is capable of processing large volumes of spatial data can be a useful tool to offer site suitability analysis. This paper describes the development of using raster GIS to delineate optimal land areas for locating pig production farms. Raster GIS can produce a suitability map that considers the land use, soil type, slope, proximity to roads and surface water, and other site selection regulation for animal production farms. Results obtained from the study showed that the suitability map can be a useful site selection guide for animal production farms and a scientific support to development of sustainable farm management strategies for decision-makers, farmers, and resource managers.