Page 168 - AJWEP-22-4

Deresse, et al.

The study classified slopes for coffee production coffee production. According to Martinez et al., the
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using a previously reported framework: 0 – 5% as significance of focused interventions for sustainable
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highly suitable (S1), 5 – 10% moderately suitable coffee development is highlighted by the restricted
(S2), 10 – 20% marginally suitable (S3), 20 – 40% not availability of optimal Humic Nitosols in both districts.
suitable (N1), and > 40% permanently unsuitable (N2)
for coffee cultivation in Abaya and Gelana Districts 3.1.4. Soil depth
(Table 5 and Figure A4). The findings highlight the need Soil depth has a direct impact on root growth, water
for soil conservation practices, including mulching, retention, and nutrient availability, making it a key
terracing, and agroforestry, to enhance marginal lands factor in determining land suitability for perennial crops
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and prevent deterioration in sloped areas. 55 like coffee. According to Mulugeta land suitability
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classification, soil depth in this study was categorized as
3.1.3. Soil texture follows: deep soils (30 – 90 cm) are deemed moderately
According to Figure A5 and Table 6, soil suitability suitable (S2), moderately deep soils (< 30 cm) are
for coffee production in Abaya and Gelana Districts marginally suitable (S3), and extremely deep soils
can be classified as highly suitable (Eutric Vertisols), (>120 cm) are highly suitable (S1). In the Abaya
moderately suitable (Humic Nitosols), and marginally District, 33.2% (730,311 ha) of the land is marginally
suitable (Chromic Luvisols). In Abaya, 48.1% is highly suitable (S3), 15.3% (325,837 ha) is moderately suitable
suitable, 1.4% moderately suitable, and 0.7% marginally (S2), and 50.5% (1,078,663 ha) of the land is extremely
suitable. In Gelana, 29.1% is highly suitable, 0.006% suitable (S1). By comparison, the Gelana District has a
moderately suitable, and 26.1% marginally suitable. higher proportion of extremely appropriate terrain, with
Other soil types, including Lithic Leptosols and water just 3.8% (77,364 ha) designated as S3, 25.5% (407,176
bodies, are unsuitable for coffee. These findings ha) as S2, and 69.7% (1,111,989 ha) as S1 (Table 7).
demonstrate distinct disparities in soil suitability; The higher percentage of extremely deep soils in
Gelana’s prevalence of less fertile Chromic Luvisols Gelana indicates greater potential for sustainable coffee
and inappropriate Lithic Leptosols underscores the production compared to Abaya, where shallow soils
need for better land use planning and soil management, predominate and pose challenges related to fertilizer
while Abaya’s rich Eutric Vertisols can sustain availability and moisture retention (Figure A6). This

Table 4. Elevation suitability class of Abaya and Gelana Districts
Elevation (m) Suitability class Abaya District Gelana District
Area (ha) Area (%) Area (ha) Area (%)
1200 – 1600 S1 134,4279 62.74801678 761803 47.49383418
1600 – 2000 S2 362,851 16.93709463 405220 25.26302927
2000 – 2300 S3 284,845 13.2959444 331098 20.64196847
1100 – 1200 N1 150,370 7.018944194 105883 6.601168077
Total - 214,2345 100 1604004 100
Notes: Highly suitable (S1), moderately suitable (S2), marginally suitable (S3), and not suitable (N1).

Table 5. Slope suitability class of Abaya and Gelana Districts

Slope class Slope range (%) Suitability class Abaya District Gelana District
Area (ha) Area (%) Area (ha) Area (%)
Nearly flat 0 – 5 S1 1,197,154 56.10163916 898,128 56.26021842
Gently undulating 5 – 10 S2 640,715 30.02551195 461,117 28.885129
Rolling to hilly 10 – 20 S3 237,720 11.14015545 184,497 11.55719621
Steep 20 – 40 N1 54,578 2.557661973 48,999 3.069378131
Very steep > 40 N2 3735 0.175031468 3641 0.228078242
Total - - 2,133,902 100 1,596,382 100
Notes: Highly suitable (S1), moderately suitable (S2), marginally suitable (S3), not suitable (N1), and permanently not suitable (N2).

Volume 22 Issue 4 (2025) 160 doi: 10.36922/AJWEP025190143