Negotiation‐Aware Optimization Approach for Multi‐Stakeholder Agricultural Land Reallocation: A Case Study in Iran
Published online on July 13, 2026
Abstract
["Transactions in GIS, Volume 30, Issue 5, August 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nLand consolidation aims to mitigate fragmentation, enhance efficiency, and improve agricultural productivity, yet fragmented holdings often increase costs and reduce land use efficiency. This study introduces a hybrid three‐stage GeoAI framework that combines spatial evaluation, individual preference modeling, and cooperative negotiation to achieve fair and efficient land reallocation. The method combines a Genetic Algorithm (GA) with an Asymmetric Nash Bargaining Solution (ANBS) to generate spatially coherent allocation alternatives and resolve conflicts through fairness‐aware negotiation. The framework is evaluated using a real‐world case study involving 12 owners and 30 parcels. Results indicate that the proposed method outperforms the conventional approach applied in the study area by increasing average utility (0.90 vs. 0.82), improving distributional balance (Gini = 0.067 vs. higher inequality in the conventional case), and raising the number of satisfied owners (11/12 vs. 9/12). In addition, the framework significantly reduces land fragmentation, producing 19 parcels with an average size of 19.5 ha, compared to 21 parcels (17.64 ha) under the conventional approach and 30 parcels (12.5 ha) in the pre‐consolidation state. Sensitivity analyses further demonstrate that the model is stable to variations in key parameters, including minimum block‐share constraints, satisfaction thresholds, and owner eligibility score weights. Overall, the results show that integrating optimization with negotiation mechanisms can simultaneously improve spatial efficiency and distributive balance within a computational decision‐support framework. While the empirical evaluation is based on a single case study, the proposed approach provides a transferable methodological foundation for addressing multi‐owner allocation problems in land consolidation and other spatial resource management contexts, particularly when combined with context‐specific stakeholder inputs.\n"]