A GIS based multiple decision-making approach applied to sustainable food production mapping and food security analysis

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 University of Tabriz

2 Chinese Academy of Sciences

3 University of tabriz

10.22034/gp.2026.71239.3505

Abstract

Food security is a key component of human health and sustainable development, and remains a major global challenge under conditions of climate change and environmental degradation. This study aims to assess spatial patterns of food security in rural areas of the East Azerbaijan Province, Iran, using a GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis (GIS-MCDA) framework. The model integrates the several steps of the implementation environmental and socio-economic indicators including criteria selection, standardization, criteria weighting based on the fuzzy analytic network process, sensitivity analysis and criteria aggregation using the ordered weighted averaging method. For this goal, a total of 21 criteria representing climatic, topographic, agricultural, and land-use conditions were used to develop a food security map in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. The results indicate that 544 villages (22.15% of the rural population) are located in high and very high food secure zones, while 1,905 villages (57%) fall within food insecure areas. The remaining villages are classified as moderately secure. The findings highlight strong spatial disparities in food security, mainly driven by environmental constraints and agricultural conditions. The proposed framework provides a critical decision-support approach for regional planning and sustainable food security management under climate change conditions.

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Main Subjects

Journal of Geography and Planning

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 18 July 2026

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