Spatiotemporal mapping of rice fallows and soil moisture dynamics for sustainable intensification using time series geospatial big data

Rice fallow lands offer a major opportunity for sustainable intensification in South Asia, particularly in West Bengal, India, where 11.7 million hectares remain uncultivated post-rice harvest due to water limitations. This study used Sentinel-2 satellite data, K-means clustering, and random forest algorithms to map rice fallow areas and soil moisture dynamics from October to May (2019–2020). Results identified 1.97 million hectares of Rabi rice fallows, with 53% and 43% of post-Kharif and post-Rabi areas, respectively, suitable for legume cultivation. The study highlights the urgency of timely interventions, as soil moisture depletes rapidly after harvest, and provides high-resolution maps to guide legume-based intensification strategies for food security and soil health.

---

Download :

English

---

This works is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

---

---