Overview of the status of soil resource in , and the needs and priorities for its sustainable management

Onesmus SllSemalulu & KkiKayuki C. KiKaizz i NARO‐Kawanda Overview • Location : Uganda lies astride the Equator, between latitudes 4o 12´ N and 1o 29´ S and longitudes 29o 34´ W, and 35o 0´ E.

• Size: Total land area 241, 548 km2 of which about 15% is covered by water bodies

• Population : About 32 Million People

• Population Growth: 3.2 % per annum Climate and Topography

• Climate – Temperature range: 15o ‐ 30o C. – Annual Rainfall range: 750 to 1500 mm

• ThTopography ‐ Mainly, lying between 1000 ‐ 2500 metres above sea lllevel. UGANDA SOILS The soil resources

MOYO YUMBE KITGUM of Uganda KOTIDO AD JUMAN I

AR UA GULU PADER

MOROTO

NEBBI

LIRA APAC KATAKWI NAKAPIRIPIRIT

MASINDI KABERAMAIDO SOROTI HOIMA KUMI NAKASONGOLA KAPCHORWA

SIRONKO Fig. 2: Soil map of Uganda NAKASEKE KAMULI PALLISA KIBOGA KAYUNGA KIBAALE MBALE LUWERO TO RORO with District boundaries IGANGA KYENJOJO KABAROLE MUBENDE JINJA BUSIA overlaid KAMWENGE KASESE MPIGI SEMBABULE WAKISO IBANDA

N BUGIRI MASAKA MUKONO MAYUG E

BUSHENYI KIRUHURA

MBARARA KALANGALA

KANUNGU RUKUNGIRI RAKAI ISINGIRO

KISORO ACRIC FERRALSOLS ARENOSOLS CALCISOLS DYSTRIC REGOSOLS 100 0 100 200 Kilometers EUTRIC REGOSOLS GLEYSOLS HISTOSOLS LAKES LEPTIC/SKELETIC ANDOSOLS LEPTOSOLS LIXIC FERRALSOLS LUVISOLS MELANIC ANDOSOLS NITISOLS PETRIC PLINTHOSOLS PLANOSOLS VERTISOLS Inherent productivity rating of Uganda soils

High-Very high Moderate-High Low-Moderate – High ‐ 8% Very Low-Low

– Medium – 14% N

W E – Fair ‐ 43% S 50 0 50 Kilometers – Low – 30% – Negligible ‐ 5%

‐Varying productivity depending on place ‐ Research indicates declining soil fertility due to nutrient miiining and little or no replenishment of nutrients Fig. 3: Inherent fertility of Uganda soils (based on grading in the soil memoirs, 1960s) Updating the soils inventory • Current map and data (hard copy) developed in the 1960 and need updating Arua Kaabong Lodwar NA 36-1 Kitgum NA 36-3 NA 36-4 • To‐date, 4 sheets out of 17 NA 26-2 Pakwach NA 36-5 Gulu Aloi Moroto have been updated and NA 36-6 NA 36-7 NA 36-8

77737 7 137 61 49 47 137 61 61 82 61 137 63 1375 71 137 61 14 137 61 41 61 61 50 47 71 71

65 64 41 41 123 63 1 14 64 63 75 64 125 137 61 150 64 41 137 47 41 137 63 125 71 138 61 50 137 64 75 dddigitised for easier use 48 14 137 1375 1375 1 137 41 63 71 137 137 137 63 40 41 14 41 61 48 138 150 137 14 137 41 41 150 150 1375 124 138 61 48 14 137 137 137 63 75 47 61 4061 14 138 150 251 125 138 Hoima 47 75 61 3941 41 41 65 61 150 75 41 65 104 48 138 Masindi Mbale39 125 137 150 137 41 NA 36-9 5050 41 125 150 65 138 10 125 NA 36-10 NA 36-11137 75 62 41 4 125 404040 41 103 Kapenguria 3

41

43 125 41 138 62 62 137 4 10 65 41 40 43 40 9 41 40 NA 36-12 • 12541 40 Efforts to convert hard copy 10 98 41 137 150 41 102 41 41 40 41 41 10 65 Masindi Mbale41 9 42 41 125 3 102 42 125 138 41 137 3 41 10 41 41 31 42 137 42 10 43 41 138 137 13762 9 125 42 125 62 62 43 137 3 125 40 43 65 137 137 138 137137 102 98 4343 43 41 41 125 65 3 102 3 65 127 125 137 62 32 43 42 42 125 137 138 43 40 125 65 137 41 41 65 9 65 42 41 138 41 41 42 40 62 3 65 125 42 40 41 1717 62 32 10 10 6565 15 42 41 65 65 38 65 137 10 42 18

138 43 3 38 62 41 16 127 41 42 137 62 42 65 40 41 65 42 125125 2538 40 137 40 124 40 42 41 3519 3519 127 19 42 40 25 1 42 138 38 40 137 40 40 65 62 18 35 124 35 19 24 41 25 42 soil memoirs into digital 25 137 38 40 38 25 27 127 127 40 137 126 38 35 137 Fort Portal 119 41 27 Kampala42 19 42 24 Jinja42

38 27 42 2 119 34 119 34 119 34 126 27 Kampala 191 24 41 2 40 40 41 126 19 1 119 Jin18 ja NA 36-13 27 40 41 126 68 137 18 27 1 2324 1 24 40 137 2324 1 12 1 124 150 NA 36-14 1 127 126 NA 36 -15 18129 17 137 137 41 1 127 126 1 128 13 20 15 12 137 21 137 18 18 128 137 137 1 18129 1 128 17132 18 124 1

124 21 18

18 18 19 18129 17 18129 17 65 1 12 124 18 18129 18 1 21

65 124 128 126 128129 17 format are on‐going 126 18 150 20 1712817 20 20 126 1872 128129 20

• Development of the soils Masaka Homa Bay SA 36-1 SA 36-2 SA 36-3 database is underway to Kabale integrate newly generated SA 36-5 analytical data into the exiiisting soils data. Fig. 4: Uganda map showing the four soil map sheets that were updated The soil testing laboratory

• A running lab. for research and the general public • Analyses mainly soil & plant tissue

Fig. 5: The Soils Laboratory and office block at the National Agric. Res. Labs, Kawanda

10000 9077 9000 8000

Csoil 6816 7000 7000 • Over 12,000 samples 6000 Water Cplant analysed in 2012 5000 5000 Plant •Mostly research 4000 2944 Soil samples analysed 3000 2000 995 924 714 502 458 Cwater 1000 85 122 Fig. 6: Trends in the number of 500 00033 5 0 samples analysed at NARL over years 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 Challenges facing the soil resource in general

N Uganda Soil Erosion Hazard Map W E

S Eastern Shore Streams

Northern Shore Streams

Katonga

L. Victoria Bukora

Kagera

Subcatchment boundaries

Soil loss rate Very low 40 0 40 80 120 Kilometers Low Moderate High Very high

Fig. 7: Erosion hot spots in the Lake Victoria catchment Challenges facing the soil resource in general • Land degradation (soil erosion esp. in hilly and mountainous areas, deforestation, soil fertility decline, …) • Inadequate knowledge on proper soil/land use practices • Poor land management practices leading to unsustainable use • Population pressure leading to continuous cultivation • Inability of smallholder farmers to invest in sustainable land management practices (e.g. very low fertiliser use) Challenges facing the soil resource (cont’d) • Lack of enforcement of Environment and Natural Resource (ENR) Management policies and regulations • Poor waste disposal • Lack of an updated soils inventory/map • SilSoil survey to updtdate the soils ddtbatabase very expensive! • SilSoil analliysis cost rather hig h for farmers (US $ 11.5 for a routine test: pH, OM, N, P, K, Ca, Mg, texture) Current efforts to address soil management chllhallenges • Generating and promoting ISFM interventions (SLM, CA, linking ISFM to profitable enterprises, etc.) • Multi‐institutional/stakeholder collaborative projects • Updating fertiliser recommendations for major crops • Updating the soils information to meet requirements Current efforts to address soil management chllhallenges (’d)(cont’d)

• Public‐private partnerships in information dissemination • Providing soil testing service to farmers and private sector • PliPolicy iiinterventions (e.g. ddlieveloping a fertiliser strategy, govt support to fertiliser use through NAADS) • A number of projects by development partners Needs and priorities for sustainable soil management

• Promote sustainable land/soil management – Sensitise grassroot communities on sustainable land management – Innovative ways of disseminating soil management information • Improve information management and dissemination systems • Improved networking and information/data sharing among institutions/departments Needs and priorities for sustainable soil management (cont’d)

• Increased support to soils research • Soils inventory update / soil survey and land use planning • Policy intervention (e.g. enforcement of ENR policies and legislation, formulate a land use policy, increase budgetary support to agriculture and ENR programs)