The Effects of land use /land cover Changes on land surface Temperature and Agricultural lands in Bahir Dar Zuria Woreda

Abstract

Different land use /land cover change was registered in the study area; this change had its own impacts on the environment and lives of the population. The aim of this research was to assess the land use/land cover (LULC)  changes and its impact on land surface temperature (LST) and agricultural products using LULC change analysis  was conducted in Bahir Dar zuria District in West Gojjiam zone, Ethiopia for the period of 1991-2021, using  Remote Sensing satellite image and Geographic Information System with field verifications. Data were preprocessed using ERDAS imagine 14 and Arc GIS 10.8 software. After pre-processing, the supervised classification scheme was applied to identify LULC changes observed in the study area. This research was mixed types of research, with descriptive research design. To achieve the objective, simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques were used. The sample size of this study was 440 samples, from those samples 40 of them were interviewed, the remaining 400 respondents filled the questionnaires. From 1991 to 2021, there has been a persistent increase in built up area while some of the classes have had an inconsistent or irregular increase or decrease in their land cover. Water, for instance, decreased in 2001, but increased in 2011& 2021. Vegetation somewhat decreased starting from 2001 up to 2011 but increased in 2021, Again agricultural lands decreased throughout the years. According the respondents response this alteration of land use /land cover has happen due to different driven factors, for example firewood collection, settlement and charcoal production were the top immediate causes of land use /land cover change in the study area. Again according to the perception of local household rapid population growth, unplanned urban expansion, and lack of law enforcement were the top underline causes of land use/land cover changes in the study area. This alteration of land use /land cover has its own impact on the land surface temperature and Agricultural productivity in the study area.

The LST values were increased by 4.5 °C from 1991 to 2021 due to the increasing build-up area in Bahir Dar Zuria district. The outcomes of this study indicated that a dramatic transformation took place in Bahir dar Zuria District regarding a decrease in greenness particularly in the year of 2001 and 2011 due to a rapid increase in population density, urban growth, and other infrastructural developments. The change in LULC can negatively affect the possible use of land and completely lead to soil and vegetation degradation that have an influences on crop productivity. According to the major respondents response the trend of both crop productivity and livestock production were also deceased in the study area. Thus, these results will be used in regional and urban planning and will be used for managing agriculture in the coming years of rapid environmental changes.

Keywords: Land surface Temperature, Land use/Land cover, Agricultural productivity, Remote Sensing, GIS, and Bahir Dar Zuria Woreda