Dry season wheat farm land suitability analysis using geospatial technologies a case of Bidiru sub watershed Ethiopia

While rain-fed wheat production constitutes vital areas of food security for Ethiopia, assessment of land suitability for dry-season wheat farming with irrigation is essential for increasing productivity. This study thus identifies suitable areas for dry-season wheat farming in the Bidiru sub-basin, Didessa River Basin, Ethiopia. Through geospatial technologies (GIS and remote sensing) integrated with multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) and analytical hierarchy process (AHP), key factors (land use/cover, soil, topography, climate, proximity to rivers/roads) were weighted and analyzed. The land suitability assessment categorized the sub-basin into: 6.7% very suitable, 48.3% moderately suitable, 28.0% marginally suitable and 17.0% not suitable for dry season wheat production. These findings thus provide actionable spatial guidance to land use planners and policymakers on targeted irrigation development programmes and improving wheat productivity while enabling sustainable land degradation mitigation for the Bidiru sub-watershed.