Land Resource and Land Use Classification Concepts and Methods for Developing Countries

This report documents the concepts and methods used by the Comprehensive Resource Inventory and Evaluation System (CRIES) Project to classify and evaluate land for national planning and policy analysis. The classification system uses two components -- soil and climate -- as the basis for delineating broad, relatively homogeneous geographic areas and to identify and tabulate major landscapes within these areas. The system is designed to provide geographic identity and soil detail suitable for national planning and analysis at minimum cost. After programs and priorities are established at the national level, the system's hierarchical features allow detailed application at implementation levels.