Abstract:
This thesis' primary goal was to evaluate the effects of urban sprawl on agricultural communities
and land usage in the surrounding area of Chancho Town, Central Ethiopia. The term "urban
sprawl" describes the dispersion of urban developments on vacant ground close to or below a
city. Throughout the research periods, changes in the spatiotemporal urban land use were
quantified and analyzed using satellite imagery and spatial tools. The technique of change
detection has been used. ArcGIS has been used to acquire and handle Landsat TM for 2003,
ETM + for 2013, and OLIRS/TIRS for 2023 satellite data. Maps of land usage and land cover
have been created using the Maximum Likelihood Algorithm of Supervised Classification.
Qualitative and quantitative methods were used in the use of descriptive survey design. Narrative
analysis was used to examine qualitative data. After being gathered using structured surveys, the
quantitative data were arranged, examined, and condensed using tables, charts, graphs, and
maps. To get the desired results, 139 sample houses chosen by purposive sampling methods were
given a questionnaire. According to the report, Chancho Town's horizontal development has
significantly harmed the social, economic, and environmental well-being of the surrounding
villages. The satellite image data indicate that over the first, second, and whole study periods,
built-up areas rose by 93.34ha (14%), and 470.6ha (41%), respectively in the first, the second
and the entire study periods. Throughout the course of the research periods, crop land fell in
both the top and second places by 863.72(25%) and 703.57(20%), respectively. Its continued
development trajectory is still the principal cause of the depletion of arable land and other
priceless natural resources. The study's conclusions showed that throughout the previous 20
years, the built-up area has grown, significantly fragmenting and spreading small, isolated
urban pockets while also having an influence on the surrounding natural environment. The study
also came to the conclusion that some of Chancho Town's sprawl issues may have been resolved
by the efficient enforcement and execution of land use planning and management. One of the
suggestions is that human and financial resources be increased, and that the legal framework be
constantly reinforced and upheld. As a result, the study's conclusions may help guide decisions
on sustainable urban growth and land use planning.
