Page 169 - AJWEP-22-4

Land suitability for coffee Abaya and Gelana

Table 6. Soil texture suitability class of Abaya and Gelana Districts
Soil texture/type Suitability class Abaya District Gelana District
Area (ha) Area (%) Area (ha) Area (%)
Eutric Vertisols S1 1,027,079 48.11100374 465,281 29.14328521
Humic Nitosols S2 30,506 1.428978959 98 0.006138316
Chromic Luvisols S3 15,936 0.746482944 416,870 26.11101959
Lithic Leptosols N1 16,327 0.764798383 229,740 13.38996724
Eutric Fluvisols N1 5142 0.240864414 407,176 25.50382737
Eutric Leptosols N2 325,837 15.26303734 77,364 3.845762276
Water bodies N2 713,984 33.44483423 465,281 29.14328521
Total - 2,134,811 100 1,596,529 100
Notes: Highly suitable (S1), moderately suitable (S2), marginally suitable (S3), not suitable (N1), and permanently not suitable (N2).

Table 7. Soil depth suitability class of Abaya and Gelana Districts
Soil depth Suitability class Abaya District Gelana District
Area (ha) Area (%) Area (ha) Area (%)
Very deep (> 120 cm) S1 1,078,663 50.52733005 1,111,989 69.65041036
Deep (30 – 90 cm) S2 325,837 15.26303734 407,176 25.50382737
Moderately deep (< 30 cm) S3 730,311 33.20963261 77,364 3.845762276
Total - 2,134,811 100 1,596,529 100
Notes: Moderately suitable (S2), marginally suitable (S3), and highly suitable (S1).

highlights the need for specific interventions in Abaya Gelana Districts, pH 5 – 5.5 is highly suitable, 3.5 – 5
such as mulching, organic amendments, and agroforestry moderately suitable, 5.5 – 6.7 marginally suitable, and
to improve soil quality. Increased productivity and below 3.5 or above 6.7 unsuitable for coffee production.
climate resistance can also result from giving extremely In Abaya, 17.4% (372,299 ha) of the land is highly
deep soil regions priority for growth. 58 suitable, 38.7% (827,722 ha) moderately suitable, 42.5%
(909,201 ha) marginally suitable, and 1.1% (25,589
3.1.5. Soil pH ha) unsuitable for coffee production. In Gelana, 27.5%
Soil pH data for the study area, resampled to 30 m, (440,636 ha) of the land is highly suitable, 25.5% (407,851
have a pH range of 3.8 – 8.1 in the Abaya District and ha) moderately suitable, 5.5% (88,660 ha) marginally
3.1 – 7.5 in the Gelana District (Figure 5). The soil pH suitable, and 41.3% (659,382 ha) unsuitable for coffee
results indicate considerable spatial variability in both production (Table 8). Soil pH is crucial for Arabica
Abaya and Gelana Districts, ranging from strongly coffee production, as it determines land suitability and
acidic (pH 3.1) to slightly alkaline (pH 8.1). This wide helps identify optimal cultivation areas. 38
pH range suggests heterogeneous soil conditions that
can greatly influence nutrient availability and crop 3.1.6. Land use/cover
suitability. Areas with low pH may face challenges Land use in Abaya and Gelana Districts was classified
such as aluminum toxicity and nutrient deficiencies, based on 2023 Landsat 8 images, identifying seven
potentially limiting coffee production, while near- categories: woodland, water body, settlement,
neutral to slightly alkaline zones might be more grassland, forest land, cultivated land, and bare land
favorable for cultivation. Understanding this variability (Table A1). In the Abaya District, water bodies cover
in pH is crucial for targeted soil management and 35.9% (760,462 ha) of the region, followed by forest
improving crop yields in the area (Figure A7). land (23.1%; 510,393 ha), cultivated land (15.5%;
The land suitability analysis classified soil pH for 328,463 ha), woodland (15.2%; 328,463 ha), grassland
Arabica coffee into four categories based on: Juita et al. (4%; 85,653 ha), bare land (2.7%; 58,051 ha), and
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highly suitable (S1), moderately suitable (S2), marginally settlements (2.3%; 48,985 ha). In the Gelana District,
suitable (S3), and not suitable (N1). In both Abaya and forest land dominates at 36.9% (585,634 ha), followed

Volume 22 Issue 4 (2025) 161 doi: 10.36922/AJWEP025190143