Page 182 - AJWEP-22-4

Deresse, et al.

production through improved soil management, climate- farming, while Gelana is better for smaller, localized
resilient coffee varieties, and informed land use planning. systems. The need for coordinated land use policies
Localized training suited to particular agro-ecological that balance socioeconomic incentives with physical
circumstances should be provided as extended services. potential is emphasized by these findings.
Development partners and policymakers may promote Qualitative data from KIIs and FGDs support the
equitable, sustainable expansion of the coffee industry in crucial role that coffee plays in rural livelihoods. Coffee
Abaya and Gelana by coordinating land suitability data is more than just an agricultural product; it is a primary
with more general measures, such as market access, source of household income, supporting expenditures on
climate resilience, and value chain strengthening. essential needs such as food, healthcare, and education.
Household participation in coffee farming is strongly
3.5. Limitations and future research directions influenced by socioeconomic factors, including income
Although the study’s methodology is competent, the levels, livestock ownership, landholding size, and off-
validation of its suitability classifications is limited farm earning prospects. Better resource endowments
because it relies more on environmental indicators encourage households to engage in labor, inputs, and
than on production data. Moreover, the use of static innovation to increase their potential for output.
climate inputs overlooks future climate variability and Recommendations for Abaya and Gelana Districts
its potential impacts. Future studies should incorporate include focusing on coffee cultivation in highly suitable
climate estimates, household-level behaviors, and areas (central and southern Abaya; southwestern Gelana)
production quality and profitability measures. Accuracy and improving infrastructure in moderately suitable
can be improved by combining socioeconomic profiling, areas. Regular soil and climate monitoring, sustainable
participatory validation, and predictive geographical practices, and economic support, including investments
modeling. Planning for more resilient, varied land use in new coffee varieties, are essential. Promoting optimal
can also be informed by investigating how coffee fits land suitability analysis will improve decision-making,
into broader livelihood initiatives. reduce losses, and boost productivity.

4. Conclusion Acknowledgments

In this study, we assessed land suitability for coffee The authors are grateful to Bule Hora University for its
production in Abaya and Gelana Districts using GIS, overall support, the Hawassa Meteorological Agency for
remote sensing, and MCE with AHP, focusing on providing climate data, and the Agriculture Offices of
topography, climate, soil, land use, and infrastructure. Abaya and Gelana, along with their experts. In addition, the
Topography, soil quality, climatic factors, land use authors acknowledge Yonas Yohannis and Obsa Kebede
patterns, and proximity to infrastructure were among (Bule Hora University, Ethiopia) for their invaluable
the important biophysical and infrastructure criteria that contributions to language editing and their unwavering
were included in the analysis. According to the findings, encouragement and support and Andargachew Bekele
both areas demonstrate the potential for sustainable (Abaya District Coffee Expert, Ethiopia) for his support
coffee production, especially in kebeles with ideal agro- in providing coffee data, which enriched this study.
ecological characteristics; i.e., 83.77% (10303.61 ha) of
Abaya and 48.4% (11660.74 ha) of Gelana are highly Funding
suitable for coffee production, highlighting substantial
opportunities for coffee farming. This study was funded by Bule Hora University.
Key factors for optimal land selection are climate
(99.07%), soil fertility (97.5%), and infrastructure Conflict of interest
(98.59%). While coffee demand (66.67%) and new
varieties (92.86%) are relevant, environmental factors The authors declare that they have no conflicts of
are prioritized. The Chi-square test (χ = 49.075; interest.
2
p<0.05) confirmed that these factors significantly impact
land suitability decisions. The study identified optimal Author contributions
coffee production areas in Abaya’s northern, central,
and southern regions and in Gelana’s southwestern Conceptualization: Teshome Deresse
and northwestern areas. Abaya is suited for large-scale Formal analysis: Teshome Deresse

Volume 22 Issue 4 (2025) 174 doi: 10.36922/AJWEP025190143