Regional Digital Soil Maps - SADC Member States

Accurate, accessible soil information is essential for strengthening agricultural productivity, climate-smart planning, and resilience across Southern Africa. This Regional Digital Soil Maps page provides quick access to existing online soil datasets from SADC member states and regional sources. These resources support researchers, extension services, policy makers, and digital advisory platforms working to improve land management and food-systems outcomes.

Regional Soil Datasets (SADC-wide)

• Soil and Terrain Database for Southern Africa (SOTERSAF)
  Comprehensive regional dataset covering multiple SADC countries.
  Access: https://library.mcmaster.ca/maps/geospatial/soil-and-terrain-database-southern-africa-sotersaf

• SoilGrids (ISRIC – Global, 250m resolution)
  High-resolution gridded soil properties for all SADC countries.
  Access: https://www.isric.org/explore/soilgrids

• Soils for Africa (ISRIC)
  Continent-wide digital soil property maps.
  Access: https://africasis.isric.org/download.html

Country Digital Soil Maps – SADC Member States

Below are direct links to publicly available national soil maps from the region.

Botswana

• National Soil Map (1:1M) – ESDAC
  Access: https://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/content/soil-map-republic-botswana-soil-mapping-and-advisory-services-project-faobot85011-map-1-2

Malawi

• Soil Map of Malawi – ESDAC
  Access: https://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/content/soil-map-malawi-0

• SOTER Malawi (GIS shapefile database)
  Access: https://research.wur.nl/en/datasets/soil-and-terrain-database-for-malawi-version-10-sotermalawi/

Mozambique

• Soil & Terrain Database of Mozambique (SOTER)
  Access: https://edepot.wur.nl/485168

Zambia

• National Soil Map (Atlas Sheet No.12) – ESDAC
  Access: https://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/content/soils-map-republic-zambia-republic-zambia-atlas-sheet-no-12

Zimbabwe

• Soil Map Layer – Zimbabwe GeoPortal
  Access: https://pchub-hqfao.hub.arcgis.com/maps/hqfao%3A%3Asoil-map/about

How to Use These Resources

The datasets listed here support:

• Agricultural planning and land management

• Soil fertility assessment and suitability mapping

• Climate-smart agriculture and advisory services

• Research and modelling under regional programmes such as FSRP and APPSA

Many maps are national-scale and may require local verification for farm-level applications.