Integrating AHP and GIS Techniques for Rural Landscape and Agricultural Activities Planning

This chapter aims at providing some insights on the usefulness of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) in the context of geographic multi-criteria analysis applied to GIS techniques for empirical applications. The increasing complexity in planning and programming applied to rural landscape and territories asks for multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches based on a holistic knowledge system. The AHP allows organizing in a hierarchic way both quantitative and qualitative information related to different disciplines, usually expressed in in-commensurable measure units. Participatory approaches can be included either through information based on the perception of the value of indicators (criteria) or by providing weights on the relative importance of the elements included in each hierarchical level. When applied to GIS techniques, the AHP allows taking into account both spatial distribution of elements/information and their physical relations, which are paramount for the analysis of interventions about landscape, biodiversity, etc. This chapter illustrates four case studies from Tuscany Region (Italy) where this approach has been applied. Results highlight the flexibility of this approach in planning, programming and designing specific interventions where several biophysical characteristics of a territory or landscape have to be integrated with socioeconomic information both at territorial and farm levels. Results show that it is possible to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of tools for the territorial governance by applying a scientifically sound approach that does not ask for complex mathematical models and provides a methodology and results that can be understood also by “non-experts”, improving participation processes.