How to combine socioeconomic assessment and remote sensing methods to recover and group farm plots at risk of abandonment

The abandonment of farmland is leading to a loss of production capacity in many agricultural systems. This article proposes a methodology for carrying out Joint Cropland Management (JCM) initiatives, which involve the cooperative use of land plots without affecting ownership, in areas with a fragmented land structure. Our framework combines a socioeconomic assessment of farmers with remote sensing and machine learning methods. Areas at risk of abandonment are located, based on which potential land groupings are proposed. The methodology was validated through a pilot test that identified 11 areas showing economic potential for JCM initiatives, comprising 647 abandoned plots, with 154 plots owned by members of an agricultural cooperative. The methodology is easily scalable for application to agricultural systems characterised by atomised land structures.