Suitability analysis for Jatropha curcas production in Ethiopia - a spatial modeling approach

Environmental Systems Research

Table 1 Environmental attributes required for jatropha production categorized under three classes of suitability

Factor or criterion	Unit	Total range	Suitability classes^aof environmental attributes			Source of information (reference)
Factor or criterion	Unit	Total range	Suitable (S₁)	Moderately suitable (S₂)	Not suitable (N₁)	Source of information (reference)
1. Rainfall	mm/year	250 - 3000	1000 – 1500	600 – 1000	< 600 or >1500	Grass [2009]; Heller [1996]
2. Temperature	Degree Celsius	17 – 28	20 – 28	17 – 20	<=17 or >28	Wu et al. [2009]; Achten et al. [2008]; Gour [2006]
3. Elevation	Meters from sea level	0 - 2150	0 – 1500	1500 – 2150	< 0 or >2150	Gour [2006]; ICRAF [2009]; Achten et al. [2008]; Wiesenhütter [2003]
4. Soils	Soil type	Any soil type without (or with little) clay content	Well drained sand and loam soils	Small proportion of clay or little water logging potential	Heavy clayey soils, which have water logging effect	Ouwens et al. [2007]; Brittaine and Lutaladio [2010]; Achten et al. [2008]
5. Slope	Degree	0 - 30	<=15	15 – 30	>30	Achten et al. [2008]; Wu et al. [2009]
6. Land cover (use)	Cover type	Land cover other than waterlogged, conservation areas, settlements and water bodies	Well drained marginal lands, open grasslands, wooded grasslands	Disturbed forests and bush/shrub lands, salt and flats	Water logged, conservation sites, settlements, cultivated areas, etc.	Brittaine and Lutaladio [2010]

Data source: Existing literature and experts’ views.
^aSuitability classes indicate environmental conditions in which large scale jatropha production is evaluated.