Land capability is defined as the inherent capacity of land to be productive under sustained use and specific management methods. Land capabilities are derived by combining the land systems information with climatic, agronomic, and forestry data.
Land Capability Classification of Nepal
There are altogether six capability classes.
Classes I, II and III have landscape and climate suited to arable cropping and are separated from each other on the basis of slopes. Due to the limitations imposed by the slope, class III land can be cultivated only with terracing. The upper limit of cultivation with terracing is considered to be 30 degrees (about 60 percent slope).
Class IV land is too steep or too cold to support agriculture, but supports productive forest suited for exploitation.
Class V land is either too cold for natural forest or is geomorphologically unstable but supports vegetation suited for grazing.
Class VI land is too steep and too unstable to support normal forest use and is very sensitive and liable to degrade rapidly even with very slight disturbances.
The land system and land capability maps of Nepal are available at the scales of 1:500 000.
Source: Carson Brian, 1986, Land Capability Report, Land Resources Mapping, Project, HMG
Nepal / Govt. of Canada.