The degrees of soil suitability in the Municipality of Bužim for the purpose of cultivating potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Rational use of available land is of great importance for the economic development of every society, especially when considering the fact, that the soil is a primary production resource, thereby placing an even greater importance on its protection and conservation, but also on the correct use of it. This paper focuses on the municipality of Bužim, located in the northwestern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where we assessed and examined the soil suitability for the purposes of potato cultivation by using the FAO methodology of AEZ (agro-ecological zoning), which uses input data such as soil characteristics, climate changes, relief patterns of the investigated area, and the requirements of the agricultural crops. Within the municipality of Bužim, 13,026.27 ha of land is used for agricultural purposes. In regards to the potato cultivation, one distinguishes between two categories of soil suitability: the suitable classes (S1, S2, S3) which occupy more than 45% of the land surface, and the unsuitable class (the N class) which only occupies 1.43% of the land surface. Thus, it can be concluded that conditions necessary for potato production do exist within the municipality of Bužim in the form of land resources, and higher yields can be achieved by implementing landscaping measures and introducing new potato varieties in accordance with the latest scientific and expert achievements.