A Geographic Information System Based Physical Land Suitability Evaluation to Groundnut and Sweet Potato in East Amhara, Highlands of Ethiopia

Abstract

Land suitability mapping and analysis is a prerequisite to achieving optimum utilization of the available land resources. The objective of this study was to spatially evaluate land suitability for groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) and sweet potato (Ipomoea pandurata L.) crops in the east Amhara region, Ethiopia based on FAO guidelines. Geographical Information System (GIS) was used to create land suitability map. The criteria for crop suitability analysis were soil depth, soil texture, pH, organic carbon and temperature. Crop suitability map was made by matching between reclassified land characteristics with crop requirements using GIS model builder. The land use suitability analysis indicated that the largest portion of the region 1562993 ha (83.26%) and 1039522 (55.37%) were unsuitable for groundnut and sweet potato crops production, respectively due to clay in soil texture(k), shallow root depth (r ) available phosphorus (p)and low climatic temperature (t). The map could assist decision makers during land cultivation with studied crops.

Keywords: land, crop, suitability, GIS, Amhara