MET, Namibia: Programmes - NNEP - Maps

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The nine major types of soils are largely dominated by sands and clays which have been reworked and mixed by the action of water and wind. Their potential for crop cultivation is low in most areas for several reasons: poor water-holding capacity, low nutrient content, high salt content and hard layers of clay below the surface. Most plants characteristically grow on certain types of soils, so those in the eastern and western Kalahari sands are quite different from those in the Cuvelai and other landscapes. Thirty-five different vegetation types are recognised and described.

Mopane and various other trees provide important sources of wood, used predominantly for housing, fencing and fuel. Large areas have been deforested as a result of the heavy demands for wood. Fruit and many other products are harvested, which are of greatest value to the poorest people. Grasses and shrubs feed large numbers of domestic stock, but high grazing pressures in the Cuvelai and elsewhere have probably resulted in a reduction in the availability and quality of pastures. In the Tsumeb area, many farms have become badly encroached by dense thickets, making the farms much less productive for cattle ranching than they were before.

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