Yonce Melyanus Killa, Uska Peku Jawang, Lusia Danga Lewu, Marten Umbu Nganji, Melycorianda H. Ndapamuri and Suryani K. K. L. Kapoe
Agrotechnology Study Program, Faculty of Sains and Teknologi, Universitas Kristen Wira Wacana, Jl. R. Soeprapto No. 35, Waingapu, Sumba Timur, NTT, Indonesia
Killa, Yo. M., Jawang, U. P., Lewu, L. D., Nganji, M. U., Ndapamuri, M. H. & Kapoe, S. K. K. L. (2025). Assessment of land suitability for rice and maize: Case study in Lewa District, East Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 31(6), 1092–1097
Lewa, one of the districts in East Sumba Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province, is a dry land area with considerable land potential that has not been fully utilized. The potential of this land can be maximized, so an evaluation of land suitability is necessary to ensure the proper development of rice and maize. This study aims to determine the land characteristics and land suitability for rice and maize in Lewa, East Sumba. This research was conducted from January to June 2019. The analytical methods used were the matching method and overlay method, utilizing model-building extensions in ArcView 3.2 software. The results of land suitability analysis show that the land suitability class for rice is S1 (Highly Suitable) with an area of 12,212.03 ha (43.46%), S2 (Moderately Suitable) with an area of 15,753.53 ha (56.06%), and N (Not Suitable) with an area of 134.44 ha (0.48%). On the other hand, land suitability class for maize is S1 (Highly Suitable) with an area of 8,529.27 ha (30.35%), S2 (Moderately Suitable) with an area of 19,432.59 ha (69.16%), and N (Not Suitable) with an area of 138.12 ha (0.49%). The main limiting factors are oxygen availability (OA), such as drainage and soil depth, erosion hazard (EH), or slope, and land preparation (LP) or rock outcrops.