9 research outputs found
Landscape-scale variability of soil health indicators: Effects of cultivation on soil organic carbon in the Usambara Mountains of Tanzania
During the Phase I of the CCAFS project we conducted a systematic land and soil health assessment in Lushoto District in November 2012. These data were used to inform climate-smart agricultural interventions for the IFAD project as well as to parameterize DSSAT crop models for maize and beans. The land and soil health assessment that was carried out using the Land Degradation Surveillance Framework (LDSF). These data were also used to assess the effect of cultivation on soil organic carbon dynamics across the landscape. Finally, these data provide a biophysical assessment for the Lushoto CCAFS Climate Smart Village
Landscape-scale variability of soil health indicators: effects of cultivation on soil organic carbon in the Usambara Mountains of Tanzania
Landscape-scale variability of soil health indicators: effects of cultivation on soil organic carbon in the Usambara Mountains of Tanzania
This article is published with open access at Springerlink.comLand-use change continues at an alarming
rate in sub-Saharan Africa adversely affecting ecosystem
services provided by soil. These impacts are
greatly understudied, especially in biodiversity rich
mountains in East Africa. The objectives of this study
were to: conduct a biophysical baseline of soil and
land health; assess the effects of cultivation on soil
organic carbon (SOC); and develop a map of SOC at
high resolution to enable farm-scale targeting of
management interventions. Biophysical field surveys
were conducted in a 100 km2 landscape near Lushoto,
Tanzania, with composite soil samples collected from
160 sampling plots. Soil erosion prevalence was
scored, trees were counted, and current and historic
land use was recorded at each plot. The results of the
study showed a decline in SOC as a result of
cultivation, with cultivated plots (n = 105) having mean topsoil OC of 30.6 g kg-1, while semi-natural
plots (n = 55) had 71 g OC kg-1 in topsoil. Cultivated
areas were also less variable in SOC than seminatural
systems. Prediction models were developed for
the mapping of SOC based on RapidEye remote
sensing data for January 2014, with good model
performance (RMSEPcal = 8.0 g kg-1; RMSEPval =
10.5 g kg-1) and a SOC map was generated for the
study. Interventions will need to focus on practices
that increase SOC in order to enhance productivity and
resilience of the farming system, in general. The highresolution
maps can be used to spatially target
interventions as well as for monitoring of changes in
SOC
Landscape-scale variability of soil health indicators: effects of cultivation on soil organic carbon in the Usambara Mountains of Tanzania
This article is published with open access at Springerlink.comLand-use change continues at an alarming
rate in sub-Saharan Africa adversely affecting ecosystem
services provided by soil. These impacts are
greatly understudied, especially in biodiversity rich
mountains in East Africa. The objectives of this study
were to: conduct a biophysical baseline of soil and
land health; assess the effects of cultivation on soil
organic carbon (SOC); and develop a map of SOC at
high resolution to enable farm-scale targeting of
management interventions. Biophysical field surveys
were conducted in a 100 km2 landscape near Lushoto,
Tanzania, with composite soil samples collected from
160 sampling plots. Soil erosion prevalence was
scored, trees were counted, and current and historic
land use was recorded at each plot. The results of the
study showed a decline in SOC as a result of
cultivation, with cultivated plots (n = 105) having mean topsoil OC of 30.6 g kg-1, while semi-natural
plots (n = 55) had 71 g OC kg-1 in topsoil. Cultivated
areas were also less variable in SOC than seminatural
systems. Prediction models were developed for
the mapping of SOC based on RapidEye remote
sensing data for January 2014, with good model
performance (RMSEPcal = 8.0 g kg-1; RMSEPval =
10.5 g kg-1) and a SOC map was generated for the
study. Interventions will need to focus on practices
that increase SOC in order to enhance productivity and
resilience of the farming system, in general. The highresolution
maps can be used to spatially target
interventions as well as for monitoring of changes in
SOC
Assessing drivers of soil properties and classification in the West Usambara mountains, Tanzania
Geoderma Regional 2017; Vol. 11:141 - 154Improved soil information in tropical montane regions is critical for conservation, sustainable agricultural
management, and land use planning, but is often challenged by topographic and land-use heterogeneity. The
West Usambara mountains are a part of the Eastern Arc chain of mountains of Tanzania and Kenya, a globally
important tropical montane ecoregion made up of isolated fault-block mountain complexes characterized by
high biological endemism, population density, and agronomic productivity. We synthesized novel and legacy
soil data from published and unpublished studies to better understand the drivers of soil property distributions
and soil diversity in the West Usambaras, and to serve as a foundation for improved soil mapping efforts across
the Eastern Arc. Analysis of the resulting dataset of 468 sites (ranging in elevation from 1040 to 2230 m.a.s.l.)
revealed that soil properties varied more significantly by land use and topography than by soil type, suggesting
that future mapping efforts in the region should focus primarily on soil property prediction and secondarily on
soil classification. Sites under cultivated land uses had the lowest topsoil soil organic carbon (SOC) concentrations
and highest pH values, and SOC generally increased with increasing elevation. Valley soils had
significantly lower surface SOC concentrations but higher exchangeable bases and pH values than all other
landscape positions. Soil pH decreased by an average of 3.5 units across the entire elevation gradient and decreased
by 1 unit with elevation even after SOC, land use and landscape position were included in multiple
regression models. The relationship of cation exchange capacity (CEC) to SOC and clay content varied by
landscape position. Therefore, particularly in montane regions where soils can vary significantly over short
distances, multiple functions may be necessary to produce improved estimates of parameters such as CEC. Soil
classification was driven most strongly by topography, with Acrisols (WRB Reference Group) and Ultisols (U.S.
Soil Taxonomy (ST)) as the dominant soil types, located primarily on mid slope, upper slope and crest landscape
positions, making up 47% and 75% of observed profiles, respectively. However, five ST Orders and seven WRB
Reference Groups were present in the dataset, with the highest soil diversity occurring at lower slope landscape
positions. Conclusions drawn from this large dataset support previous work in the West Usambaras and provide a
conceptual foundation from which to build improved soil maps across the Eastern Arc and in other tropical
montane systems throughout the world