Legesse et al. (2026) Land suitability assessment for surface irrigation via geospatial technology: The case of Dendi District on upper Awash Basin, Oromia, Ethiopia

Identification

• Journal: Ecological Frontiers
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-01-01
• Authors: Belay Beko Legesse, Indale Niguse Dejene, Kanenus Fufa Dararo
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecofro.2026.01.003

Research Groups

• Department of Digital Image Processing, Space Science and Geospatial Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• Department of Earth Science, College of Natural and Computational Science, Wollega University, Nekemte, Ethiopia
• Department of Spatial Decision Support, Space Science and Geospatial Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Short Summary

This study assessed surface irrigation suitability in Dendi District, Upper Awash Basin, Ethiopia, using GIS and remote sensing. The analysis identified that approximately 26.84% of the area is highly or moderately suitable for surface irrigation, providing a crucial baseline for agricultural planning.

Objective

• To evaluate surface irrigation suitability in Dendi District by identifying key influencing factors, classifying these factors using geospatial technologies, and assessing overall land suitability.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Dendi District, Upper Awash Basin, Oromia, Ethiopia.
• Temporal Scale: Current land suitability assessment based on geospatial data.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), GIS (ArcMap 10.8, ERDAS Imagine 2015, IDRIS Selva 17.02), Remote Sensing, Reclassify tool (ArcMap), Weighted Overlay tool.
• Data sources: Geospatial data including slope, proximity to rivers, soil characteristics (type, texture, depth, drainage, pH), Land Use/Land Cover (LULC), and elevation.

Main Results

• Overall land suitability for surface irrigation in Dendi District:
  • Highly suitable: 3.21%
  • Moderately suitable: 23.63%
  • Marginally suitable: 33.47%
  • Unsuitable: 39.68%
• Factor-specific suitability for well-suited cropland:
  • 70.15% of the area consists of well-suited cropland.
  • 36.08% has highly suitable soil types.
  • 74.67% has favorable soil textures.
  • 51.45% has optimal soil pH.
  • 40.64% has well-drained soils.
  • 11.67% has favorable proximity to rivers.
  • 96.47% has ideal elevation.
• Factor-specific unsuitability:
  • 54.38% unsuitable slopes.
  • 67.65% unsuitable proximity to rivers.
  • 25.81% unsuitable LULC.
  • 17.31% unsuitable soil depth.
  • 1.10% unsuitable soil type.
  • 17.31% unsuitable soil drainage.

Contributions

• Provides a comprehensive, spatially explicit land suitability assessment for surface irrigation in the Dendi District.
• Offers a practical baseline for local administrators and agricultural stakeholders to effectively plan and prioritize irrigation development, focusing on highly and moderately suitable areas.
• Contributes to mitigating food insecurity and supports informed land use planning in the region.

Funding

Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Legesse2026Land,
  author = {Legesse, Belay Beko and Dejene, Indale Niguse and Dararo, Kanenus Fufa},
  title = {Land suitability assessment for surface irrigation via geospatial technology: The case of Dendi District on upper Awash Basin, Oromia, Ethiopia},
  journal = {Ecological Frontiers},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.ecofro.2026.01.003},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecofro.2026.01.003}
}