Mapping Robusta Coffee Growing Areas in Uganda

Methodology
Robusta coffee in Uganda and any part of the world are grown under tree or shrubs
sheds and therefore, it is difficult to isolate them from conventional data processing and
analysis with ASTER or Landsat images (Balonos, 2007, Cordero-Sancho and Sader 2007).
Use of Quickbird, IKONOS or SPOT images could provide reasonable results because of
their good spatial resolution, which would support isolation of individual tree canopy over
landscape. But the cost of such images are too expensive for the purpose of this work
and therefore could not be used.

A combination of suitability analysis and detailed landcover mapping was therefore

adopted under this activities. Suitability of Robusta coffee based on soil variables (pH,
depth, and drainage), rainfall, temperature, altitude and areas outside gazetted lands was
performed under GIS Boolean Model approach. The resultant map (figure 1) was obtained
to show areas where areas Robusta coffee can grow in Uganda.

Figure 1: Robusta Coffee Suitability map

To be able get best possible areas where Robusta coffee is grown, a detailed landcover
mapping was undertaken using ASTER images through a conventional maximum
livelihood classification method. The mapping is targeting areas (a) non agricultural
activities (forest, water bodies, bushland, bareland, swamp, riverine vegetation, and
urban,) indicating no coffee is grown in them, (b) other plantations (tea, sugar,
horticulture), also do not support coffee in the current status, (d) mixed riverine
agriculture (rice, other wetland crops) and (e) mixed agriculture ( cereal, banana, etc),
which are likely to intercropped with coffee (Figure 2)
Figure 2: Landcover map

By combination landcover and suitability map, and mainly forecasting in mixed agriculture
areas, Robusta coffee growing is map (figure 3) was produced. The need to include tree
cover percentage as a factor will be significant because it would minimize errors arising
other agricultural lands without agroforestry elements.
Figure 3: Landcover and Coffee growing areas.

There area need to carry out some modification to remove sharp boundary errors, which
was due temporal difference in ASTER data.

References
1. Balonos Sandra 2007, Using Image Analysis and GIS for coffee Mapping,
Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
2. Cordero Sancho S. and Sader S.A 2008, Spectral analysis and classification
accuracy of coffee crops using Landsat and a topographic-environmental model,
International Journal of Remote Sensing ,Volume 28 , Issue 7 (March 2007)-
Pages 1577-1593