The document summarizes Malawi's efforts to map soil organic carbon. The Malawi government is implementing a project to improve food security and agriculture through sustainable land management. As part of this, the departments of land resources and agricultural research are mapping soil properties, including organic carbon, in project districts. Soil samples have been collected and tested for various properties. Soil maps have been produced for two districts, Nsanje and Phalombe, showing levels of organic carbon. Challenges to ongoing soil mapping efforts include lack of coordination, limited funding, and need for extension worker training.

1. Progress on Malawi Soil Organic Carbon
map
Presented by:
James Banda
Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development (MoAIWD)
Presented at
Second Workshop of the International Network of Soil Information Institutions ,
FAO, Rome, Italy . 23-25 November 2016

2. Malawi Soils
• The major soil types in Malawi are
dominated by
– Luvisols,
– Lixisols and
– Cambisols.
• Lixisols are dominantly in the northern
region, Luvisols in the central, and
Cambisols along the Rift Valley and largely
in the southern region.

3. Major soil and natural resources in Malawi

4. Mapping of soil organic carbon
• The Malawi Government is implementing Agriculture Sector Wide
Approach- support Project (ASWAp-Sp ) under ASWAP whose
objective is to improve the effectiveness of investments aimed at
food security and sustainable agricultural growth.
• Under Component 2 of the project- “Sustainable Food Security,
Agricultural Growth and Diversification” there is need to do soil
mapping for intervention sites .
• The Departments of Land Resources Conservation (LRCD) and
Department of Agricultural Research Services (DARS) with financial
support from ASWAP are jointly conducting soil mapping and
production of soil maps in Malawi which include mapping of Organic
Carbon.

5. Mapping of soil organic carbon
• Soil samples were collected in the project
implementing districts. The soils were tested
against pH, organic matter, Nitrogen,
Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus,
Potassium, Zinc, Iron and copper.
• Specifically soil maps for two districts (Nsanje
and Phalombe) have been produced which
include organic carbon

6. • A great part of
the district has
medium
percentage of
organic carbon

7. • The district has
larger proportion
of low carbon

8. Other soil parameters being
mapped
• several soil parameters were mapped
apart from Carbon which included soil
organic Matter, pH, Nitrogen, Phosphorus,
Potassium, Zinc and Calcium

10. Other activities implemented so far...
• Updated soil loss rates in Malawi

11. Other activities implemented so far…
• Updated land cover and land cover change for the country

12. Challenges and Suggested
Options
• Lack of coordination among stakeholders on
soil data updating- many players are
collecting soil data- creating a forum on soil
data generation is important
• Limited financial resources to carry out the
soil data updating activities-lobby for more
resources from donor community and other
players
• Lack of skills by extension workers to collect
soil data- capacity building on soil data
collection needed.

13. THE END
THANK YOU FOR
YOUR ATTENTION