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Identifying suitable regions for amaranth production using a geographic information systems approach

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2009

Robert L. Myers
Robert L. Myers
Affiliation:
Assistant Professor, Department of Agronomy, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211.
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Abstract

Amaranth is an alternative grain crop that shows significant promise in the U.S. A geographic information system (GIS) was used to analyze the most suitable regions for growing amaranth in Missouri. GIS software provides tools to manipulate and display geographically based information, in this case the factors affecting amaranth's suitability. Of several such factors considered, the ones used were soils, rainfall, sorghum production, disease potential, and labor availability. Soil, rainfall, and disease information were assumed to be direct factors in yield potential. Current sorghum production areas were considered likely areas for amaranth production, given the similarities between the crops. Labor availability also was assumed to affect adoption, since amaranth requires more labor than traditional grain crops. The analysis showed that central and southeastern Missouri would be the most favorable areas for amaranth production. Other suitable areas are along the Mississippi and Missouri river valleys and in western Missouri. This GIS approach can be modified to include additional factors and refinements, and could be used with other alternative crops or for other regions of the country.

Keywords

alternative cropscrop selection factors
Type
Research Article
Information
American Journal of Alternative Agriculture , Volume 9 , Issue 3 , September 1994 , pp. 122 - 126
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

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