Dararo et al. (2026) Land suitability assessment for irrigated lentil cultivation in Southwest Shewa Zone, Ethiopia using remote sensing, GIS, and the analytic hierarchy process

Identification

• Journal: Scientific Reports
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-09
• Authors: Kanenus Fufa Dararo, Diro Lenjisa Geleto, Aster Chalchisa Eggi, Firdissa Sadeta Tiye, Bekele Bedada Damtie
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-70025-3

Research Groups

• Department of Soil Science, Addis Ababa University
• Space Science and Geospatial Institute (SSGI)
• Ethiopian Metrological Institute (EMI)

Short Summary

This study evaluates land suitability for irrigated lentils cultivation in Southwest Shewa Zone, Ethiopia, using an integrated Remote Sensing (RS), Geographic Information System (GIS), and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach. The results classified the study area into four suitability categories: highly suitable (10.47%), moderately suitable (30.47%), marginally suitable (38.88%), and not suitable (20.18%).

Objective

• Determine land suitability for irrigated lentils cultivation in Southwest Shewa Zone, Ethiopia.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Regional scale, covering the entire Southwest Shewa Zone.
• Temporal Scale: Long-term perspective, considering climate variability and change.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Geographic Information System (GIS).
• Data sources:
  • Landsat 8/9 images for land use/land cover analysis.
  • Soil data from the ISRIC Soil Data Hub for soil properties.
  • SRTM 90 m resolution DEMs for terrain analysis.
  • Annual temperature data from the Ethiopian Metrological Institute (EMI).
  • Water body data from the Space Science and Geospatial Institute (SSGI).

Main Results

• The study area was classified into four suitability categories: highly suitable (10.47%), moderately suitable (30.47%), marginally suitable (38.88%), and not suitable (20.18%).
• Distance to water sources was the most influential criterion, receiving a weight of 32.5%.
• Slope was the second most important criterion, with an AHP weight of 28.2%.

Contributions

• This study provides a spatial decision-support framework for identifying suitable areas for irrigated lentils production in Ethiopia.
• The results can inform irrigation development and promote sustainable land resource management.

Funding

• This research was funded by the Ethiopian Ministry of Water, Irrigation, and Electricity (MoWIE).
• The project code is MWIE/2020/01.

Citation

@article{Dararo2026Land,
  author = {Dararo, Kanenus Fufa and Geleto, Diro Lenjisa and Eggi, Aster Chalchisa and Tiye, Firdissa Sadeta and Damtie, Bekele Bedada},
  title = {Land suitability assessment for irrigated lentil cultivation in Southwest Shewa Zone, Ethiopia using remote sensing, GIS, and the analytic hierarchy process},
  journal = {Scientific Reports},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-70025-3},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-70025-3}
}