Abstract:
Assessing available land and water resources for irrigation is important for planning their use.
This study was initiated with the objective of assessing the water and land resources potential of
Busitema Sub county for irrigation development and generating goo-referenced map of these
resources by using Geographic Information System.
Geospatial maps preparation, identification of potential irrigable land, and estimation of
irrigation water requirement and surface water resources of Busitema Sub County were the steps
followed to assess this irrigation potential. Results of Geospatial maps preparation led to
identification of potential irrigable land, irrigation suitability factors such as soil type, slope, land
cover/use, and distance from water supply (source) were taken into account.
The irrigation suitability analysis of these factors indicate that 63.6% of the soil and 97.2% of
the slope in the study area are in the range of highly suitable to suitable for sprinkler irrigation
system. In terms of land cover/use, 69.1 % of land cover/use is highly suitable where as 7.9% is
restricted from irrigation development. Weighted overlay analysis of these factors (land, slope,
land cover) gave potential of 86.8% of the area in the range of highly suitable to suitable for
sprinkler irrigation system. Finally, when Euclidean distance was considered an area of 50.3km2
was obtained in the range of highly suitable to suitable for sprinkler irrigation system.
