Multi-Criteria Analysis of Suitability for Energy Crops under Structural and Environmental Constraints: A Case Study in a Northeastern Italian Region

This article assesses the potential of introducing energy crops for the biofuel chain in rural areas based on a land suitability analysis. The most suitable areas for cultivation of energy crops were evaluated using a geographic information system (GIS) based on a cartographic database merged with pedoclimatic and structural factors. The land evaluation model was integrated into a multi-criteria framework for classifying the land on the basis of pedoclimatic and structural opportunities and constraints in a multidisciplinary approach. The model was applied to a case study in the province of Ferrara, northeastern Italy, considering three crops (sunflower, rapeseed, and soybean) for the production of biofuels as an alternative to traditional crops. The results indicated that, while the structural factors (farm size, mechanization level, and road network) presented intermediate and severe limitations in most of the territory, the agronomic and pedoclimatic factors showed no limiting values for the crops. The matching of pedoclimatic and structural factors determined that the most suitable crop was sunflower, with more than half of the area (55.3%) very suitable, while soybean was the crop most penalized by pedoclimatic factors.