A GIS-based Ecological suitability evaluation of tobacco growing in Kanungu district.

Abstract

Crop planting suitability evaluation is vital for agricultural production. With the increasing population, every other crop should be planted in areas where it is most suitable. This will help to achieve optimum utilization of the limited land resources. In this research, the main aim was to identify the areas that are most suitable for tobacco growing in Kanungu district. The study was carried out using GIS and Remote sensing in which AHP (Analytical hierarchy process) and Fuzzy logic were combined to determine the most suitable areas for tobacco planting. The factors considered were; Land use land cover, soil type, rainfall, temperatures, aspect, and slope data for the study area. The results visually show that the southeastern part of the study area is most suitable and statistically 19% of the study area is most suitable, 42% is suitable, 31% is less suitable and 8% is not suitable for tobacco planting