Estimation of Agricultural Dykelands Cultivated in Nova Scotia Using Land Property Boundaries and Crop Inventory
Dykelands are agricultural ground protected from coastal inundation by dyke infra-structure and constitute some of the most agriculturally productive lands in Nova Scotia. Between 2015 and 2019, Canada’s Annual Crop Inventory was used to characterize and estimate hectares of agricultural dykelands c...
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| Formaat: | Artikel |
| Taal: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-11-01
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| Reeks: | ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information |
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| Online toegang: | https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/10/12/801 |
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| author | Mathieu F. Bilodeau Travis J. Esau Aitazaz A. Farooque Qamar U. Zaman Brandon Heung |
| author_facet | Mathieu F. Bilodeau Travis J. Esau Aitazaz A. Farooque Qamar U. Zaman Brandon Heung |
| author_sort | Mathieu F. Bilodeau |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Dykelands are agricultural ground protected from coastal inundation by dyke infra-structure and constitute some of the most agriculturally productive lands in Nova Scotia. Between 2015 and 2019, Canada’s Annual Crop Inventory was used to characterize and estimate hectares of agricultural dykelands cultivated in Nova Scotia. The number of hectares of wheat, barley, corn, forages and soybeans were compiled for each year and compared to the previous year. This was accomplished using GIS software, satellite images, and geodata from the Nova Scotia’s Land Property Database. Results revealed that from 2015 to 2019, an average of 56% of the dykelands’ total surface was dedicated to the production of field crops (wheat, barley, corn, soybeans) and forage. Results also highlighted the importance of forage production on the dykelands. Forage was the largest commodity grown, representing around 80% of the total crop land area of the agricultural dykelands. Corn and soybeans were the second and third crops of abundance, constituting 12 and 4% of the total crop land area, respectively. This study represents the first attempt to document the number of hectares of the principal crops grown on Nova Scotia’s dykelands using crop inventory and property boundaries. Given the predictions of rising sea levels and the overtopping risks that the dykelands face, this study will facilitate more suitable land-use policies by providing stakeholders with an accurate quantitative assessment of the utilization of agricultural dykelands. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:58:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f3fafa0245904d3db029f4cc6a3cefe4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2220-9964 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:58:03Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information |
| spelling | doaj.art-f3fafa0245904d3db029f4cc6a3cefe42023-11-23T08:41:45ZengMDPI AGISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information2220-99642021-11-01101280110.3390/ijgi10120801Estimation of Agricultural Dykelands Cultivated in Nova Scotia Using Land Property Boundaries and Crop InventoryMathieu F. Bilodeau0Travis J. Esau1Aitazaz A. Farooque2Qamar U. Zaman3Brandon Heung4Department of Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS B2N 5E3, CanadaDepartment of Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS B2N 5E3, CanadaSchool of Sustainable Design Engineering, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PE C1A 4P3, CanadaDepartment of Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS B2N 5E3, CanadaDepartment of Plant, Food, and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS B2N 5E3, CanadaDykelands are agricultural ground protected from coastal inundation by dyke infra-structure and constitute some of the most agriculturally productive lands in Nova Scotia. Between 2015 and 2019, Canada’s Annual Crop Inventory was used to characterize and estimate hectares of agricultural dykelands cultivated in Nova Scotia. The number of hectares of wheat, barley, corn, forages and soybeans were compiled for each year and compared to the previous year. This was accomplished using GIS software, satellite images, and geodata from the Nova Scotia’s Land Property Database. Results revealed that from 2015 to 2019, an average of 56% of the dykelands’ total surface was dedicated to the production of field crops (wheat, barley, corn, soybeans) and forage. Results also highlighted the importance of forage production on the dykelands. Forage was the largest commodity grown, representing around 80% of the total crop land area of the agricultural dykelands. Corn and soybeans were the second and third crops of abundance, constituting 12 and 4% of the total crop land area, respectively. This study represents the first attempt to document the number of hectares of the principal crops grown on Nova Scotia’s dykelands using crop inventory and property boundaries. Given the predictions of rising sea levels and the overtopping risks that the dykelands face, this study will facilitate more suitable land-use policies by providing stakeholders with an accurate quantitative assessment of the utilization of agricultural dykelands.https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/10/12/801land coverland useremote sensingGIScrop inventorydykelands |
| spellingShingle | Mathieu F. Bilodeau Travis J. Esau Aitazaz A. Farooque Qamar U. Zaman Brandon Heung Estimation of Agricultural Dykelands Cultivated in Nova Scotia Using Land Property Boundaries and Crop Inventory ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information land cover land use remote sensing GIS crop inventory dykelands |
| title | Estimation of Agricultural Dykelands Cultivated in Nova Scotia Using Land Property Boundaries and Crop Inventory |
| title_full | Estimation of Agricultural Dykelands Cultivated in Nova Scotia Using Land Property Boundaries and Crop Inventory |
| title_fullStr | Estimation of Agricultural Dykelands Cultivated in Nova Scotia Using Land Property Boundaries and Crop Inventory |
| title_full_unstemmed | Estimation of Agricultural Dykelands Cultivated in Nova Scotia Using Land Property Boundaries and Crop Inventory |
| title_short | Estimation of Agricultural Dykelands Cultivated in Nova Scotia Using Land Property Boundaries and Crop Inventory |
| title_sort | estimation of agricultural dykelands cultivated in nova scotia using land property boundaries and crop inventory |
| topic | land cover land use remote sensing GIS crop inventory dykelands |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/10/12/801 |
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