Land evaluation of the Maputo province (Mozambique) : a case study of the Changalane and Mazimunhama hydrographic basins / Avaliação de terras da provincia de Maputo (Moçambique) : o caso das bacias hidrograficas de Changalane e Mazimunhama

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2009

RESUMO

The study area consists of the sub-basins of the Changalane and Mazimunhama rivers, tributaries of the Tembe river, situated in the Maputo province of Southern Mozambique. The region is recognized by the national and provincial authorities as being under pressure from: agricultural use, deforestation due to uncontrolled exploitation of forests, forest fires and the farming of cattle and goats. These factors are creating and exacerbating social and environmental problems, in particular: food insecurity, low crop yields, erosion and siltation of water courses. The evaluation and determination of land use capacity in a hydrographic basin is of vital importance to the planning and rational use of soil and other terrestrial resources given that misuse and disregard of this capacity lead to degradation. From an evaluation of the physical environment and the activities undertaken in the Chanagalane and Mazimunhama basin regions, especially those concerning argiculture, an assessment was made of the land use capability by combining the concepts of system management and agricultural fitness. The purpose of this evaluation was to address the issues of land-use planning and conservation in particular by minimizing the environmental problems arising from misuse. The data were generated and integrated using GIS Arcinfo/Arcgis 9.2. The information layers used included maps of both soil and topography (slope classes) as well a land use map. The latter component was obtained by the digital processing of ASTER images. The analysis showed that the Bv (Basaltos vermelhos) soil units, with a loam-clay-sandy texture, occur on the plains (slope; 0-3%) and cover most of the study area (172.8 km2, 30.1%). This soil was rated as Class IIIs-p/f when evaluated using the land-use capability system 2ab(c), indicating that it is adequate for the cultivation of annual and even perennial crops. However there exist problems regarding the depth of the soil and its low fertility, because of this limited depth it is not recommended to use heavy mechanization. The second soil unit, which occupies a considerable portion of the study area (154.9 km2, 26.9%), consists of the coluvionares soils (C). They occur in regions with mildly to considerably undulating relief and are included in the subclass IVs-sl/so. These soils are limited by their salinity, sodicity and flood risk

ASSUNTO(S)

agricultura - moçambique rural land agriculture hydrographic basins bacias hidrograficas solo rural - uso - planejamento

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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