MODELING OF AGRO-ECOLOGICAL ZONES FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE EVELOPMENT IN HALAYEB AREA, EGYPT

T he Halayeb area is one of the most important Egyptian places, occupying a portion of the country's southeastern desert zone and serving as a strategic border with Sudan. The major goal of this study is to combine existing data on landforms, soil qualities, and climate data to define agro-ecological zones (AEZ) that are suitable for agricultural development. Thirty-two soil profiles were dug throughout the study region to represent physiographic units, and a digital soil map was generated based on an analysis of the digital elevation model and Landsat 8 satellite data, as well as climatic data from nine sites within the study area. Using the Model Builder in ArcGIS software, AEZ were created based on overlay maps of topography, soil chemical and physical properties, temperature, and precipitation maps. Zone (I) represents highly suitable areas (2.6 percent), zone (II) represents suitable areas (12.4 percent), zone (III) represents moderately suitable areas (26.5 percent), and zone (IV) represents marginally suitable areas (37.3 percent) . highly suitable(S1), suitable (S2), and moderately suitable(S3) were the most appropriate classes for all of the crops studied. The findings will aid decision-makers in developing various development plans based on the research area's conditions. The study's methodology and findings can be used to evaluate which land is best suited for agricultural productivity growth.