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Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-315
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-315
12 Feb 2024
 | 12 Feb 2024

Trapnell's Upper Valley Soils of Zambia: the production of an integrated understanding of geomorphology, pedology, ecology and land use

Nalumino L. Namwanyi, Maurice J. Hutton, Ikabongo Mukumbuta, Lydia M. Chabala, Clarence Chongo, Stalin Sichinga, and R. Murray Lark

Abstract. The Ecological Survey of Northern Rhodesia, undertaken in the 1930s under the leadership of Colin Trapnell, was a seminal exercise to relate soil, vegetation and agricultural practices through intensive field observation. In this article we examine early activities of the survey in the Upper Valley region around the Kafue Flats and the neighbouring plateau where Trapnell recognized how geomorphological processes of normal erosion gave rise to distinctive soils with associated vegetation communities and considerable potential for crop production. We consider how Trapnell's approach to field work gave him a particular insight into how soil conditions constrained agriculture in the Zambian environment, the adaptive value of traditional practices, and how these were developed as communities moved and responded to social, economic and environmental change. We argue that Trapnell's work was innovative, and that distinctions must be drawn between his understanding and what has been called the ecological theory of development. Close attention to Trapnell's experience could inform modern efforts to understand indigenous knowledge of African soils and their agricultural potential.

Publisher's note: Copernicus Publications remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims made in the text, published maps, institutional affiliations, or any other geographical representation in this preprint. The responsibility to include appropriate place names lies with the authors.
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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

09 Dec 2024
Trapnell's Upper Valley soils of Zambia: the production of an integrated understanding of geomorphology, pedology, ecology, and land use
Nalumino L. Namwanyi, Maurice J. Hutton, Ikabongo Mukumbuta, Lydia M. Chabala, Clarence Chongo, Stalin Sichinga, and R. Murray Lark
SOIL, 10, 887–911, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-10-887-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-10-887-2024, 2024
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The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.

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We examined historical sources for the Ecological Survey of Zambia, 1932–1943. This found how...
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