Digital Soil Mapping and Soil Quality Index Development for Malawi: Spatial Insights for Sustainable Land Management
This information brief presents the development of digital soil maps and a Soil Quality Index (SQI) for Malawi, based on 1,813 geo-referenced soil samples collected across major agro-ecological zones. Multiple soil physical, chemical, and mineralogical parameters were analyzed and integrated through...
| Autores principales: | , , , , |
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| Formato: | Brochure |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
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International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
2025
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| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179380 |
| _version_ | 1855517452299927552 |
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| author | Patil, Mukund Choudhari, Pushpajeet L. Botoman, Lester Agengnehu, Getachew Desta, Gizaw |
| author_browse | Agengnehu, Getachew Botoman, Lester Choudhari, Pushpajeet L. Desta, Gizaw Patil, Mukund |
| author_facet | Patil, Mukund Choudhari, Pushpajeet L. Botoman, Lester Agengnehu, Getachew Desta, Gizaw |
| author_sort | Patil, Mukund |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | This information brief presents the development of digital soil maps and a Soil Quality Index (SQI) for Malawi, based on 1,813 geo-referenced soil samples collected across major agro-ecological zones. Multiple soil physical, chemical, and mineralogical parameters were analyzed and integrated through weighted modeling and spatial analysis to evaluate overall soil health. The resulting digital maps reveal that most soils in Malawi fall within good to very good quality classes, indicating favorable conditions for crop production. However, localized constraints, such as low organic carbon, low cation exchange capacity (CEC), and soil acidity, persist, particularly in the central and northern regions. High soil quality areas were identified in Chikwawa and Nyika National Park, while lower SQI values were observed around Kasungu and Kafukule. The findings suggest the importance of site-specific soil management strategies to enhance fertility, support sustainable land use, and inform precision agriculture and national soil health monitoring initiatives in Malawi. |
| format | Brochure |
| id | CGSpace179380 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics |
| publisherStr | International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1793802026-01-06T02:03:04Z Digital Soil Mapping and Soil Quality Index Development for Malawi: Spatial Insights for Sustainable Land Management Patil, Mukund Choudhari, Pushpajeet L. Botoman, Lester Agengnehu, Getachew Desta, Gizaw digital soil mapping soil management soil requirements machine learning This information brief presents the development of digital soil maps and a Soil Quality Index (SQI) for Malawi, based on 1,813 geo-referenced soil samples collected across major agro-ecological zones. Multiple soil physical, chemical, and mineralogical parameters were analyzed and integrated through weighted modeling and spatial analysis to evaluate overall soil health. The resulting digital maps reveal that most soils in Malawi fall within good to very good quality classes, indicating favorable conditions for crop production. However, localized constraints, such as low organic carbon, low cation exchange capacity (CEC), and soil acidity, persist, particularly in the central and northern regions. High soil quality areas were identified in Chikwawa and Nyika National Park, while lower SQI values were observed around Kasungu and Kafukule. The findings suggest the importance of site-specific soil management strategies to enhance fertility, support sustainable land use, and inform precision agriculture and national soil health monitoring initiatives in Malawi. 2025-12-31 2026-01-05T08:18:45Z 2026-01-05T08:18:45Z Brochure https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179380 en Open Access application/pdf International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics Patil, Mukund; Choudhari, Pushpajeet L.; Botoman, Lester; Agengnehu, Getachew; & Desta, Gizaw. 2025. Digital Soil Mapping and Soil Quality Index Development for Malawi: Spatial Insights for Sustainable Land Management. Patancheru, India: ICRISAT. |
| spellingShingle | digital soil mapping soil management soil requirements machine learning Patil, Mukund Choudhari, Pushpajeet L. Botoman, Lester Agengnehu, Getachew Desta, Gizaw Digital Soil Mapping and Soil Quality Index Development for Malawi: Spatial Insights for Sustainable Land Management |
| title | Digital Soil Mapping and Soil Quality Index Development for Malawi: Spatial Insights for Sustainable Land Management |
| title_full | Digital Soil Mapping and Soil Quality Index Development for Malawi: Spatial Insights for Sustainable Land Management |
| title_fullStr | Digital Soil Mapping and Soil Quality Index Development for Malawi: Spatial Insights for Sustainable Land Management |
| title_full_unstemmed | Digital Soil Mapping and Soil Quality Index Development for Malawi: Spatial Insights for Sustainable Land Management |
| title_short | Digital Soil Mapping and Soil Quality Index Development for Malawi: Spatial Insights for Sustainable Land Management |
| title_sort | digital soil mapping and soil quality index development for malawi spatial insights for sustainable land management |
| topic | digital soil mapping soil management soil requirements machine learning |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179380 |
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