Agricultural Land Suitability Analysis for Maize Crop by Using GIS Technology in Case of Debub Gondar Zone, Ethiopia

Food security is the current problem that affects the socio economic standard and living condition of the society. Land suitability analysis is a method of land evaluation which measures the degree of appropriateness of land for a certain use. The aim of this study was to identify and delineate the land that can best support maize production by using GIS technology. The study was carried out in Debub Gondar zone in Ethiopia. Even though agriculture is the main economic activity in the study area, its productivity is insufficient because some of the crops being introduced are not doing well. For this study, three specific objectives were mentioned. These are; identify the suitable area of maize in the study area, identify the unsuitable area of maize in the study area and compare current maize production with suitable and unsuitable area. To accomplish these study four parameters were used such as soil, slope, temperature and rainfall. The parameters were analyzed by ArcGIS 10.3 software. As result the largest portion of the study area was unsuitable for maize production and some part of northern, north western and eastern part of study area was partially suitable for maize production. Finally, we recommended that the concerned bodies should cultivate maize around the suitable part of the study area.

Multi criteria decision making (MCDM) has been developed to improve spatial decision making when a certain alternative needs to be evaluated on the basis of conflicting and in commensurate criteria [10]. GIS and MCDM can benefit from each other. GIS techniques and producers have an important role to play in analyzing MCDM problems through automating, managing and analyzing a variety of spatial data for decision making. Although an increasing number of GIS are described as systems for supporting spatial decision problems, most of GISs lack the kind of spatial analysis required by decision makers on the other hand MCDM methodologies provide a rich collection of techniques and producers to revel decision makers preferences and to incorporate them in to GIS based decision making. Integration of GIS and RS technologies apart from saving time and yielding food data quality have the ability to locate potential in new crop land sites [9].

General Objective
The general objective of this study was to carry out agricultural and maize suitability analysis for maize by using GIS and Remote sensing technology. Specifically a) To identify the suitable and unsuitable area for maize production in the study area b) To compare current maize production with suitable and unsuitable area 3. Research Question a) How to identify the suitable and unsuitable area for maize production in study area? b) Compare and contrast current maize production with suitable area?

Topography
Topographically south Gondar zone is characterized by more undulating terrain with significant altitudinal variation ranges from 1500 to 4300m above sea level. Percentage share of south Gondar topography are; undulating (75%), plain (14%), valley (10%) and plateau (1%). It has an average elevation of 2717m.

Demography
South Gondar zone has a total population of 2,051,738 and increase of 16% over the 1994 census, of whom 1,041,061 men and 1,010,677 women with an area of 14,095.19 square km. It has the population density of 145.56: 195.619 or 9.53% are urban dwellers. A total of 468,238 households were counted in this zone which results in average of 3.8% to a household and 453, 658 housing units. The main ethnic group reported in semen Gondar was the Amhara (99.7%); all other ethnic group made up of (0.3%) of the population Amharic was spoke as the first language by (99.7%) the remaining (0.3%) spoke all other primary language reported (96.14%) practiced Ethiopia orthodox Christianity, and (3.68%) the population side there were Muslim [3].

Socio Economic Status
According to May 24, 2004 World Bank memorandum, (4%) of the inhabitant of Debub Gondar have access to electricity, this zone has a road density of 66.1km per 1000sqkm (compared to the national average of 30km, the average rural household are 1 hectare of land (compared to the national average of 1.01 hectare of land and an average of 0.75 for Amhara region), and the equivalent 0.6 heads of livestock. 14% of the population are non-farm related jobs, compared to the national average of 25% and regional average of 21%. 49% of all eligible children are enrolled in primary school and 9% in secondary school. 55% of the zone is exposed to malaria and none of test fly [6]. The leading cereal products based on area coverage's are teff, barley, wheat, maize respectively. From total area of 14,095.19sqkm only 551,078sqkm is suitable for agriculture [4].

Research Design
In order to accomplish this study the researcher was used quantitative research design. All the data was quantified like soil, topography, DEM, and climate data related with suitability for maize production and expressed in percent.

Material and Methods
To conduct this study the researcher was used digital material (computer and mobile phone) and ArcGIS software in order to collect data from different source and analysis the collected data.

Data Source and Methods of Data Collection
Data for this study was collected from both primary and secondary data source. The primary data was collected through interview from the concerned bodies such as DGAO. Secondary data was collected from published reference books and unpublished materials like annual reports. Such as soil and DEM data were obtained from DTU GIS lab room, climate data (temperature and rain fall) was collected from metrology station.

Method of Data Processing and Analyzing
To achieve the stated objectives and research question the researcher was applied analysis through interpolation (IDW), reclassify and fuzzy overlay.

Parameter Specification
The parameters for this study were soil type, rainfall, minimum temperature, maximum temperature, slope and elevation. Six criteria were selected for evaluating land suitability for maize crop in the study area. These criteria were selected based on extensive literature review of potential factor affecting.

Rainfall Validation
Maize is grown mostly region having annual rainfall between 600 mm and 1100 mm. [16]

Slope Validation
A place which has less than 25% of slope is suitable, whereas a very steep slope of more than 25% is unsuitable for maize production (www.esdac.jrc.ec.europa.

Elevation Validation
Maize is grown chiefly between elevation of 1500 and 2200 m and require large amount of rainfall to ensure good harvest [5]. Table 4. Elevation validation.

Class
Elevation (m) Description S 1500-2200 Suitable for maize production U <1500 and >2200 Unsuitable for maize production

Temperature Validation
The maximum temperature for maize growth and development is less than 32°C, whereas the minimum temperature for maize growth and development is below 8 o c [2].

Model Type
The above parameters were overplayed by fuzzy overlay technique. This tool is recommended for the use with the result of the fuzzy membership tool. It is meant to be applied to raster's with values that range between 0 and 1.

Maize Suitability Analysis Based on Soil Type
From the above result (figure 2), the classified map of the study area consists of suitable and unsuitable land for maize production based on soil. The black color indicates suitable area where as the white color represent unsuitable area for maize production. As a result show that, in terms of soil type the suitable area are located to some part of north, south, east, north east and south east part of the study area. The unsuitable area also located to west and central part of the study area.    6 shows that, 57% of soil types were suitable and the remaining 43% were unsuitable for maize production in the study area.

Maize Suitability Analysis Based on Rainfall
Form the above result, the classified map of the study area consists of suitable and unsuitable area for maize production. The black color represents suitable area and white color also indicates the unsuitable area for maize. From this the northern and some part of eastern area are suitable, whereas southern, south eastern, south western, and some part of north eastern area of the study area unsuitable for maize in terms of rainfall.    As the above table 3 showed that, the greatest portion of the study area was unsuitable for maize production in terms of rainfall amount, which shares 75% from the total and the remaining 25% was suitable for maize cultivation.

Maize Suitability Analysis Based on Slope
From the above map, the classified map of study area consists both suitable and unsuitable area for maize production. Black color indicates the suitable area whereas the white color represents the unsuitable area for maize production. The classified map shows that, much of the study area were suitable for maize based on slope and little portion of the study area were unsuitable, which located eastern and southern part of the study area.

Maize Suitability Based on Elevation
According to figure 6, suitable which represented by black color and unsuitable area which represented by white color. The suitability area for maize based on elevation is located as western, southern, north eastern and southwestern part of the study area and unsuitable area for maize is also located most central part and some part of north of the study area based on elevation.

Temperature requirement for maize production
Normally the temperature goes down with increasing altitude. Sometimes, a "temperature inversion" happens where the temperature goes up with increasing altitude. At the troposphere the temperature starts to go up with increasing altitude [26].

Maize suitability based on minimum temperature
As the above map dipicted that, the suitable area represented by black color and white color show the unsuitable area for maize production. As the result show that the suitable area located North, West, South, Southwest, Southeast and Northeast whereas unsuitable area found around Northwest, East, and Centeral part of the study area based on minimum temprature.   6 shows that, 55.4% of the study area was suitable for maize production, where as 44.6% of the study area was unsuitable for maize production based on minimum temprature. Temprature   Figure 7. Maize suitability classification based on maximum temperature. As the above map showed that, large portion of the study area was suitable for maize production based on maximum temperature. The black color represents the suitable area and the white indicate unsuitable area for maize. From this, the suitable area for maize was located as eastern, north eastern and central part of the study area suitable for maize based on maximum temperature, and unsuitable area for maize production based on maximum temperature is located southern, south western and north western peripheral area of the study area.  11, No.4, 2021 quintal production. Its productivity was also 43.31 per hectare. According to this study suitable area for maize production was 1,133,965 hectare from the total study area. This indicates that 59782 hectare was not used from the total suitable area for maize production. Which show that only 47.8% of suitable area was used for maize cultivation.

Interpretation
For this study six variables were used these were soil type, rainfall, slope, elevation Tmax and Tmin. Each variable has its own parameters. Therefore, the suitable ranges for maize production were soil type (nitosols, cambisols, and lithosols), rainfall (600mm-1100mm), Elevation (1500m-2200m), Slope (Up to 25%), maximum temperature (32 o c), and minimum temperature above (8 o c). Figure 8. Overlay maize suitability. From the above map the black color represent the suitable and the white color indicate the unsuitable area for maize production. As the result of above map shows that, Libokemkem and Fogera district are mostly suitable for maize, and Ebinat Lay Gayint, Tach Gayint, Simada, Dera, are most suitable whereas the remaining Mirab Este, Misrak Este, farta, and Debre Tabor are mostly unsuitable district for maize production based on overlays. 1408844.4 100% As illustrated ontable8, the suitable area was much greater than unsuitable area which share80% and unsuitable area share20%from the total area for maize cultivation.

Conclusions
The research has undertaken to identify the suitable and unsuitable land for maize production by using GIS technology in Debub Gondar zone, Amhara region, Ethiopia. GIS functionality can play a major role in spatial decision making. Considerable effort was involved in information collection for the suitability analysis for crop production.
Therefore, by using this spatial analysis, this study was analyzed based on different variables such as soil type, elevation, slope, rainfall, minimum temperature, and maximum temperature. According to this study, 57% 0f soil type, 25% of rainfall, 53.7% of elevation, 99.5% of slope, 55.4% 0f minimum temperature, and 88% of maximum temperature were suitable for maize production, whereas 43% of soil type, 46.3% of elevation, 75% of rainfall, 0.44% of slope, 22% of maximum temperature, and 44.6% of minimum temperature were unsuitable for maize production.
From the finding 80% of Debub Gondar zone area coverage is suitable more maize cultivation, whereas the remaining 20% area coverage is unsuitable for maize cultivation.
Based on district level, the areas which were suitable for maize are some part of Ebinat, Libokemkem, Fogera, lay Gayint and Tach Gayint, and the reaming districts such as Mirab Este, Misrak Este, Farta, Simada, Dera, and Debre Tabor were mostly unsuitable totally.

Recommendation
Standing from the result of this study, and the finding that was done and some possible recommendations are; to alleviate poverty and ensure food security in the study area, government and agricultural experts should take Journal of Environment and Earth Science www.iiste.org ISSN 2224-3216 (Paper) ISSN 2225-0948 (Online) Vol. 11, No.4, 2021 9 their responsibilities by giving appropriate training for local farmers. The local government may use the result of this study to advice the local farmers on the suitable area for maize cultivation. According to the study, local farmers who live around the suitable area that contains 1133965 hectares should practice maize cultivation.