The second ''photo-film'' of a two-part series, "The Ground Beneath Your Feet," launched this week during Global Soil Week, where the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development's (IFAD) is highlighting the importance of soil, whilst debating the latest science and technology as well as methods for preserving this vital natural resource.
In Lushoto, Tanzania, a cluster of ''climate-smart villages'' supported by Climate Change and Food Security's (CCAFS) nestle in the stunning Eastern Arc Mountains, stretching between Tanzania and Kenya. The richly diverse landscape is a biodiversity hotspot with its sloping hillsides supporting a wide range of agricultural produce - from vegetables, beans, sugarcane and cassava to agroforestry.
Soil health is measured through indicators such as organic carbon. In Lushoto, carbon per kilogram of soil can vary massively between 15 and 150 grams within 10 kilometers. Designed originally by the World Agroforestry Centre, the Land Degradation Surveillance Frameworkhas been updated and implemented globally by CIAT and regional partners, such as IFAD's Adaption for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP), to map the landscape and show variability in dynamic soil properties.
Scientists are now linking soil health data with household survey data on cropping diversity, perceptions of climate change, and gender. Together with socio-economic data, it allows them to better understand and address farming system constraints. Lab tests help further identify soil nutrient quantities such as nitrogen content, building up a rich map of the soil.