Geospatial assessment of Jatropha curcas plantation in Qatar: A GIS modelling approach

Qatar is one of the largest producers and exporters of fossil-based fuels including natural gas. Though, the country is striving to diversify its energy resources by incorporating renewables to mitigate associated emissions and expand its fossil reserves lifetime for the coming generations. Energy crops are believed to be amongst the prominent resource for biofuel production for being carbon neutral. However, no attempts were made to grow energy crops due to the extremely limited arable land area as well as the water scarcity in this part of the world. Meanwhile, Jatropha curcas is preferred over other energy crops due to its superior agronomical traits, where it can grow in non-arable lands and harsh climates with minimal water requirements. Besides, it proved to yield higher seeds with the supply of treated sewage effluent, which is widely available and not completely utilised in Qatar. According to the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation, Jatropha can grow within 30°N and 35°S latitudes. Yet, there is a need to investigate suitable sites to grow Jatropha across Qatar. As such, this study utilises the Geographic Information System (GIS) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to identify the suitable sites based on multicriteria including soil type, depth and pH contents, as well as average annual humidity and temperature. The combination of these methods and criteria may provide a better insight on the potential of biofuel production from Jatropha in Qatar. The GIS-based spatial analysis identified wasteland area of 6779 km2 in Qatar as highly suitable to grow Jatropha. In addition, 1564 km2 are identified as moderately suitable sites. The obtained results indicate a high potential to grow Jatropha in Qatar for biofuel production with no competition on land and water resources