Land suitability analysis for maize production using geospatial technologies in the Didessa watershed, Ethiopia

Physical land suitability assessment is a prerequisite for enhancing yield production and enables the agricultural communities to use the right place for the right crops. Maize is one of stable one food crops of Ethiopia and cultivated in three agroecological zones: highland, midland and lowlands. Despite these facts, maize yield is very low due to a lack of knowledge and information gaps on land suitability. Physical land suitability for maize cultivation is essential to minimize the problem of food security. The present study aims to identify the potential land suitability for maize production in the Didessa watershed, Western Ethiopia using Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) and geospatial technologies. Land use land cover (LULC) change, climate, topography, soil, and infrastructure facilities were considered for maize land suitability assessment. The MCE based pairwise comparison matrix was applied to estimate land suitability for maize crop cultivation. The results showed that, about 977.7 km² (14.1%) is highly suitable, 4794.9 km²(69.1%) is moderately suitable while 1118.8 km² (16.1%), and 51.5 km² (0.7%) of the study area were categorized under marginally and not suitable for maize production, respectively. This research provides crucial information for decision making organs and the farming community to utilize potential areas for maize cultivation.