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Over the years, food production has been characterized

by subsistence farming. A subsistence production

system usually focuses on maximizing short term profit

which promotes consuming and depleting natural stocks

of plant nutrients. Such a farming system has resulted

in soil fertility degradation through nutrient mining.

In the past, when Uganda’s population was still low,

lost soil fertility was restored through long periods of

fallows. With an average land holding of about 2 ha

per household today, fallows are no longer practical.

Research has demonstrated that fertilizer inputs and

appropriate land management practices are important

components of technology required to maintain or

improve soil fertility in Uganda (P. Ndeki et al).

Classification and Nomenclature

The major criteria in soil classification are the physical

and chemical characteristics. Physical characteristics

include factors such as parent rock, texture, structure,

location, depth, colour, and topography, while chemical

characteristics include pH, base composition, base

saturation, and Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC). Going by

those criteria, 13 major classes (some with sub classes)

have been identified at national level (see Table 4).

The earlier nomenclature of soils in Uganda was based on

the catena system, in which units were assigned names of

the most prominent town or centre in the area. This Atlas

however uses reclassified soils based on the standard FAO

nomenclature.

The high productivity soils cover only 8% of the area of

Uganda. This is indeed a small area. Therefore, moderate

and fair productivity categories form the bulk of the

soils and must be effectively managed in order to sustain

Uganda’s agriculture. Furthermore, through intensive

but sustainable agricultural practices, yields on low

productivity soils can be enhanced.

Table 4: Soil Types and Productivity status in Uganda

Severe soil erosion on Mt. Elgon slopes in Kapchorwa District, resulting from

loss of vegetation cover and leading to heavy siltation of River Ngenge (2005)

Soils Types

Soil Type

Sub Type

Area (Km

2

)

Andosols

Leptic/Skeletic

5,751

Melanic

63

Arenosols

5,579

Calcisols

204

Ferralsols

Acric

43,180

Lixic

24,392

Gleysols

24,019

Histosols

580

Leptosols

22,086

Luvisols

5,275

Nitisols

3,907

Planosols

1,735

Plinthosols

Petric

35,205

Regosols

Dystric

5,072

Eutric

8,085

Vertisols

19,066

45

Soils:

Changes

Classification and Nomenclature

.

NEMA 2005