A digital map of the state of soils in sub-Saharan Africa is to be developed in an initiative that is meant to assess the impact of climate change and deforestation.<\/p>\n
The African Soil Information Service (ASIS), based in Kenya, will produce the digital map of 42 of Africa\u2019s 53 countries revealing soil type and its component nutrients.<\/p>\n
Information gathered will guide farmers and policymakers on efforts to improve the fertility of Africa\u2019s soils, some of which are the most depleted in the world.<\/p>\n
Coverage and detail of existing soil maps are poor, particularly in large, sparsely populated countries in Africa, says Alfred Hartemink a soil scientist with the ASIS.<\/p>\n
“The maps that do exist are 10 – 30 years old. That poses a problem, because the soil properties of interest — like pH, carbon or phosphorus content — change over time.”<\/p>\n
The project will gather existing local soil maps and combine them with new measurements to produce the digital map, which will be freely accessible on the web in a user-friendly format.<\/p>\n
The new measurements will include those derived from remote sensing, which involves analysing the features of satellite images – such as colour and radiation – to infer the characteristics of the soil.<\/p>\n
These calculations are then calibrated against actual soil samples from the particular region.<\/p>\n
The African map is the first stage of an initiative — GlobalSoilMap.net, to map all the globe\u2019s soils to help informed decisions not only about agriculture, but also to monitor the effects of climate change, environmental pollution and deforestation.<\/p>\n