Abstract
This article presents an approach to assessing land suitability for irrigated agriculture based on the Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) method using weighted summation. The aim of the study is to integrate various factors affecting the potential of land for irrigation, taking into account their relative importance. The study is focused on the development and testing of a methodology for evaluating the degree of land suitability for irrigated agriculture in the North Kazakhstan Region of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Ten key criteria were identified and quantitatively assessed, including soil, geological parameters, land use, and others. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method was used to determine the weights of the criteria, which made it possible to structure complex decisions based on pairwise comparisons of criteria. The calculation results, presented in the form of a spatial differentiation map, showed zones with different degrees of suitability for irrigated agriculture. The analysis showed that a high degree of suitability is mainly observed in the northwestern part of the region near lakes and along the Ishim River, whereas lands with low suitability prevail in the southern and southeastern parts. The developed methodology makes it possible not only to determine the current potential of land resources but also to take into account factors affecting their sustainability in the long term. This provides a basis for informed decision-making in the field of sustainable agricultural development and planning, as well as for identifying promising areas for the development of irrigated systems.