World’s Soil Resources

Figure 9.14 Change in land-cover between 1994 and 2005 as part of the Five Class Land-cover of South Africa after logical corrections.
Source: Schoeman et al., 2010.
9.6 | Summary of conclusions and recommendations
Based on the above finding, an assessment is made of the status and trend of the ten soil threats in order
of importance for the region. At the same time an indication is given of the reliability of these estimates (Table
9.5).
Soil degradation is considered one of the root causes of stagnating or declining agricultural productivity in
SSA. Unless soil degradation can be controlled, many parts of the continent are expected to suffer increasingly
from food insecurity. If this decline in the productivity of Africa’s soil resources continues, the consequences
will be severe, not only for the economies of individual countries, but also for the welfare of the millions of
rural households dependent on agriculture for meeting their livelihood needs.
There is an urgent need for proactive interventions to arrest and reverse soil degradation. Rehabilitation of
degraded land and conservation of those not yet degraded is the most desirable step for every country in the
region, but this can only be achieved if the characteristics of the soil resources are well defined and quantified
and soil monitoring systems established in every country.
Status of the World’s Soil Resources | Main Report Regional Assessment of Soil Changes
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in Africa South of the Sahara