Digital Soil Mapping facilitates the creation of data and visual aids to provide insight for soil attributes in a given geographical area. The data produced can be highly useful to agricultural policy-makers for states, academics doing studies, non-government organizations in farming and sustainability, all the way to the local farmer looking for the best methods to plant their crops.
eHealth Africa’s Michael Egwim spearheaded creation of a case study regarding Digital Soil Mapping for groundnut cultivation in Kano, Nigeria. As groundnut is considered to be the 13th most important food crop in the world, it follows that clear data about soil would be vital for sustaining groundnut production in Kano.
Leaders from eHealth Africa’s GIS Department initiated and supported this case study to its completion. GIS (Geographic Information System) is the main mapping technology used for eHealth Africa’s projects for planning and distribution of immunizations and healthcare, even to the most rural areas. GIS was used extensively to produce the data and visuals for this study, “Digital Soil Mapping For Groundnut Cultivation: A Case Study of Kano State, Nigeria.” GIS allows this study to model and analyze a large amount of data, translating it into readable maps and topographical information.
While Kano is not a stranger to soil surveys like this, the past few decades have seen little updates or additions. The goal of this study is to stimulate new ideas for digital soil mapping, thereby discovering new and innovative ways at the state and local level to increase crops and agricultural production in Kano and beyond.
Read the entire case study and review more data and visuals here: Digital Soil Mapping For Groundnut Cultivation: A Case Study of Kano State, Nigeria.