Greener
Journal of  Agricultural Sciences

Vol. 3 (5), pp.
355-362, May 2013.

 ISSN: 2276-7770 

Research
Paper

Manuscript Number: 030613513

 

Land Suitability Evaluation for Tea and Food Crops in
Kabarole District, Western Uganda

 

Expedito Nuwategeka¹, Robert Ayine²
& 

Denis Thaddeus Ofoyuru^3*

 

Faculty of Education and Humanities, Gulu University, P.
O.
Box 166, (Uganda).

 

Emails:¹nuwaexp @ yahoo. com,²ayinerobert
@ yahoo. co. uk

 

^*Corresponding
Author: denisofoyuru @ yahoo.com

Abstract:

The study was
conducted in Busoro Sub County in Kabarole District to
assess the physical and economic suitability of the land for
Tea, Maize and Bananas. Physical suitability was evaluated
using a soil map of the study area. Soil types with their
parameters of Cation Exchange Capacity, base saturation, pH,
organic matter, nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous were
studied. The climate of the area was studied using annual
monthly rainfall and temperature values for the area for
more than thirty years. Production costs, market prices and
annual yields per hectare for tea, maize and bananas were
computed. Using Net Present Value approach, the economic
suitability of each crop was computed. The economic and
physical parameters were entered into a model built in
Automated Land Evaluation System (ALES) software using the
decision trees. Overall suitability evaluation results were
produced for each of the respective crops. The results of
the study indicated that different soil types (management
units) had varying suitability among the three crops. Tea
registered higher overall economic suitability followed by
Bananas and then Maize. However, Bananas presented a higher
overall physical suitability on all soil types followed by
Tea and Maize. The study recommends conducting a mini
agro-ecological zonation in planning and decision for
maximum utilization of the land resources for a potential
LUT is an important tool in ensuring improved agricultural
livelihoods and household income.
 
 Keywords: Land evaluation, automated land evaluation
system, physical suitability, economic suitability.

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