Abstract:
Agriculture is the backbone of Kenya’s economy. Agriculture in Kenya is characterized
by low productivity due to low external inputs, lack of good farming practices, soil
erosion, and other losses. In most farming regions of the country, agriculture depends
entirely on rainfall which sometimes is scarce. The problem of selecting the correct land
for the cultivation of certain crops is a long-standing and mainly empirical issue. The
objective of this study is to extrapolate and generate a crop suitability map showing areas
suitable for agricultural activities in Taita Hills in Kenya. It utilizes the information on
environmental condition, altitude, rainfall and other relevant parameters of the case study
where the variability of rainfall and recurrent droughts have a great impact on the lives of
people whose livelihood is mainly dependent on subsistence agriculture. The methods
used include development of elevation models, watershed mapping, climate variability
mapping, soil erosion mapping that incorporates the revised universal soil loss empirical
(RUSSLE) model and multi-criteria evaluation analysis. The analysis was done using the
sum weighted overlay analysis of soil erodibility, slopes, vegetation index and rainfall
availability in the modeling. Four categories were achieved and mapped out: most
suitable, more suitable, less suitable and least suitable. The research implies that there
can be both suitable areas and unsuitable areas for crops in Taita Hills. The study helps
farmers to be aware of the environmental conditions of their agricultural land and the
impacts that may arise due to varying climate conditions on their cropping patterns.
