GIS-Based Suitability Study of Rice Farm Location in Bende Local Government Area, Abis State, Nigeria

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the capacity of Geographic Information System (GIS) procedure in the analysis of suitable site for rice farming in Bende Local Government Area (LGA), Abia State. Rice is one of the most important staple foods consumed in every household in Nigeria. Therefore, studies of this nature are highly needed as rice production in Nigeria is still below the consumption rate. The result from the suitability mapping of suitable farm location for rice production using GIS therefore will aid in optimizing its production by revealing the varying degrees of suitable location for rice production. The GIS suitability map will enable farmers to be aware of the best location for rice production. Optimal location is important for every business venture to thrive. The GIS-based suitability map will contribute to the call for the mechanization of rice to encourage increase in production rate from 5.4 million to 7.2 million tons. To achieve this aim, individual maps which represent factors that determine rice production such as soil, slope, nearness to river, and accessibility were developed and applied in analysis. These maps were re-classified and assigned suitability weight based on their relative importance. The soil was assigned the highest weight while accessibility (road) was assigned the lowest weight. The essence of re-classifying the maps and assigning weights to the individual maps was to generate individual factor suitability maps. Thereafter, the new re-classified and individual suitability maps were overlaid on each other using ArcGIS 10.4 weight overlay tool to generate the rice suitability map. The final suitability map showed that 13.16 % of the area in Bende Local government Area is highly suitable for rice production, 34.67% is moderately suitable and 35.60% is marginally suitable. The other 15.94% is currently not suitable. This study recommended setting up field trials in the various suitability classes as identified in the study. This will allow for testing of the various management options for sustainable rice production in each of the suitability classes. The outcome of this study is important for policy makers and planners for efficient rice production.