Applying geospatial technique for land suitability assessment for surface irrigation in Shinfa River Basin, Ethiopia

• We apply a combined methodology of GIS and Analytical Hierarchy Process for suitable land identification. • The results reveal that 1.64 % (8,991.5 ha) of the land is highly suitable, while 69 % (377,431.5) is moderately suitable. • The proposed Dam site contains only 105,042 ha of suitable land identified for surface irrigation. • To increase the irrigable land further in the district, design expansions and alternative water sources should be explored. Surface irrigation plays a significant role in promoting sustainable development of a country by producing cash crops, and it requires the assessment of suitable potential land by considering numerous influencing factors. Although Ethiopia is a country that has abundant water resources and likely suitable land, and twelve major river basins, the suitability of the Shinfa river basin for surface irrigation purposes has not been assessed yet. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the suitability of the River Basin and the Mretema-Quara District for surface irrigation practice. We collect both meteorological and spatial data to use the combined methodologies of Geographic Information System (GIS) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) by considering the pivotal factors including proximity (rivers, towns, and roads) and land use land cover (LULC), major soil types, soil characteristics, and slope. We apply the hierarchical structure, pairwise comparison of the criteria, estimate weights for each criterion using Saaty scale, and compute the consistency ratio. The land suitability was classified as highly suitable (S1), moderately suitable (S2), marginally suitable (S3), and currently not suitable (N). From the result we noticed that 1.64 % (8,991.5 ha) of the land is identified as highly suitable, while 69 % (377,431.5 ha) is moderately suitable for surface irrigation in the study area. Amhara Design and Supervision Works Enterprise (ADSWE) has planned a project that covers an area of 85,480 ha of large-scale irrigation projects by constructing a storage dam at Gubay-Jejebit Kebele in the middle downstream of the basin. Using the proposed dam site as a reference, this study shows that the downstream Metema-Quara district contains 105,042 ha of suitable land for surface irrigation. However, only 38 % of this suitable land in the Quara and Metema district has been proposed and designed for surface irrigation development within the basin. To increase the area of irrigable land further in the district by which many communities’ will be benefited, design expansions and alternative water sources like small diversions, groundwater, and rainwater harvesting should be explored. Implementing irrigation projects in this basin, with its vast suitable irrigable land, is an asset for advancing the country’s development, and helps to alleviate poverty and achieve sustainable development goals. By applying some technology inputs to overcome geographical limiting factors, the community can be benefited from surface irrigation. Future studies should consider the availability of water for dry season irrigation, and socio-economic factors for land suitability assessment by applying data driven methodologies.