Physical Models in Land Suitability Evaluation and Mapping for Surface Irrigation in Eastern Ethiopia
Keywords:
Land quality, soil property, land suitability, mapping, GISAbstract
Land suitability evaluation is a system used to allocate land for appropriate use. The study examined the physical suitability of land for surface irrigation. Suitability of different land quality parameters viz. slope, soil texture, depth, erosion, drainage, soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic matter (OM), total nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P), cation exchange capacity (CEC), available water content, and infiltration rate were evaluated for irrigated crop production using physical models. The degrees of suitability of the area for the target land use were mapped using Arc GIS 10.1 Software. Based on soil variability across the landscape, 12 land mapping units (LMUs) were investigated. The study results showed that LMU2, LMU3 and LMU9 were classified under highly suitable (S1) category for surface irrigation. The LMU12 was found to be permanently not suitable (N2) for surface irrigation because of physical limitations. Major portion of the study site (37.55%) was highly suitable (S1) for surface irrigation. We found that LMU7 and LMU10 were highly suitable for maize (Zea mays), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), green pepper (Capsicum annuum), and onion (Allium cepa). Our findings showed that the area is highly suitable for tomato but less suitable for maize production compared to other proposed crops. Finally, further research on socio-economic impacts of the proposed land use and identification of appropriate land improvement measures need to be undertaken.
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