Land Use Land Cover Change and its Implications for Livestock Production and Food Security in Kuyu District, Ethiopia

Abstract

Although Kuyu district has significant potential for animal-source food production due to its large livestock population and diverse species, the effects of land use and land cover (LULC) change on these resources remain underexplored. This study examines LULC changes over three decades (1991–2021) and their impact on livestock production and food security among rural households. Data from Landsat images from 1991, 2001, 2011, and 2021 were used to develop land use maps and quantify changes through visual interpretation and supervised classification using ArcGIS Version 10.7.1. Key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and transect walks were employed to complement the study with qualitative data. Six LULC classes were identified: forest/plantation, grass/shrub land, bare land, cropland, rural settlement, and urban built-up areas. Over the study period, cropland and bare land experienced net gains of 45.4% and 6.5%, respectively. In contrast, forest/plantation land and grass/shrub land showed net losses of 29.3% and 23.7%, respectively. The decline in grassland is a major cause of animal feed scarcity, although the expansion of croplands provides low-quality crop by-products as alternative feed sources. Livestock relying on such feeds exhibit poor production and health performance, jeopardizing food security for rural households. The LULC changes observed in this study underscore their adverse effects on livestock production. To mitigate the constraints on livestock production and improve food security, interventions such as diversifying livestock production, enhancing mixed crop-livestock farming, adopting agroecological practices, and implementing effective livestock development planning, policies, and strategies are recommended.