Boitt, Mark K

Kapoi, John K

Mundia, Charles N

Pellikka, Petri K E

Agrárinformatika Folyóirat

Agriculture is the backbone of Kenya’s economy. Agriculture in Kenya is characterized by  low  productivity  due  to  low  external  inputs,  lack  of  good  farming  practices,  soil erosion,  and  other  losses.  In  most  farming  regions  of  the  country,  agriculture  depends entirely on rainfall which sometimes is scarce. The problem of selecting the correct land for  the  cultivation  of  certain  crops  is  a  long-standing  and mainly  empirical  issue.  The objective of this study is to extrapolate and generate a crop suitability map showing areas suitable  for  agricultural  activities  in  Taita  Hills  in  Kenya.  It  utilizes  the  information  on environmental condition, altitude, rainfalland other relevant parameters of the case study where the variability of rainfall and recurrent droughts have a great impact on the lives of people  whose  livelihood  is  mainly  dependent  on  subsistence  agriculture.  The  methods used  include  development  of  elevation  models,  watershed  mapping,  climate  variability mapping, soil erosion mapping that incorporates the revised universal soil loss empirical (RUSSLE) model and multi-criteria evaluation analysis. The analysis was done using the sum  weighted  overlay  analysis  of  soil  erodibility,  slopes,  vegetation  index  and  rainfall availability  in  the  modeling.  Four  categories  were  achieved  and  mapped  out:  most suitable,more  suitable,  less  suitable  and  least  suitable. The  research  implies  that  there can be both suitable areas and unsuitable areas  for crops in Taita Hills. The  study helps farmers  to  be  aware  of  the  environmental  conditions  of  their  agricultural  land  and  the impacts that may arise due to varying climate conditions on their cropping patterns

Land Suitability Assessment For Effective Crop Production, a Case Study of Taita Hills, Kenya

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