The land use suitability concept: Introduction and an application of the concept to inform sustainable productivity within environmental constraints

•Some land practices impair surface water quality and may also not be the best productive use of land.•The land use suitability (LUS) concept is designed to inform better land use decisions.•The first application of LUS focuses on balancing productive land and water quality.•It has three indicators; production potential, relative contribution and pressure.•The indicators can be used by many stakeholders to inform their ability to meet a water quality objective.