Suitability analysis for rice growing sites using a multicriteria evaluation and GIS approach in great Mwea region, Kenya

Joseph Kihoro,Hunja Murage,Njoroge J Bosco

doi:10.1186/2193-1801-2-265

Joseph Kihoro, Hunja Murage + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/2193-1801-2-265

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Abstract

Land suitability analysis is a prerequisite to achieving optimum utilization of the available land resources. Lack of knowledge on best combination of factors that suit production of rice has contributed to the low production. The aim of this study was to develop a suitability map for rice crop based on physical and climatic factors of production using a Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) & GIS approach. The study was carried out in Kirinyaga, Embu and Mberee counties in Kenya. Biophysical variables of soil, climate and topography were considered for suitability analysis. All data were stored in ArcGIS 9.3 environment and the factor maps were generated. For MCE, Pairwise Comparison Matrix was applied and the suitable areas for rice crop were generated and graduated. The current land cover map of the area was developed from a scanned survey map of the rice growing areas. According to the present land cover map, the rice cultivated area was 13,369 ha. Finally, we overlaid the land cover map with the suitability map to identify variances between the present and potential land use. The crop-land evaluation results of the present study showed that, 75% of total area currently being used was under highly suitable areas and 25% was under moderately suitable areas. The results showed that the potential area for rice growing is 86,364 ha and out of this only 12% is under rice cultivation. This research provided information at local level that could be used by farmers to select cropping patterns and suitability.

Highlights

Rice is rapidly becoming a major food in much of sub-Saharan Africa and is set to overtake maize, cassava, sorghum, and other cereals in the near future
Suitability map Not suitable Marginally suitable Moderately suitable Highly suitable clay, humidity levels >80 and temperatures between 2230°C; these values are in agreement with those considered in the literature
The results obtained from this study indicate that the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) and application of Multi-Criteria Evaluation using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) could provide a superior database and guide map for decision makers considering crop substitution in order to achieve better agricultural production

Summary

Introduction

Rice is rapidly becoming a major food in much of sub-Saharan Africa and is set to overtake maize, cassava, sorghum, and other cereals in the near future. The demand is driven as much by population growth as by urbanization. The high cost of fuel makes rice attractive as it can be prepared quickly and with less energy requirement (Mati and Nyamai 2009). Within Kenya, the demand for rice continues to grow as more Kenyans make changes in their eating habits, and as urban population increases. Rice is currently the third most important cereal crop after maize and wheat. Rice is gaining popularity among the rural folk as well and consumption has risen dramatically over the last three years to stand at 300,000 metric tons per annum.

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