Afghanistan Soil:
Most
of the landscape is baron and is contains the images of the desert. Since the only source of water comes from
rivers from the mountains and a handful of lakes make the soil conditions are
formed under arid and semi-arid climate conditions.[1] Loam being the soil concentration of sand, silt
and clay Afghanistan soil itself contains ranges from mostly clay loam to sandy
loam. There is a high soil ph and calcium
carbonate contents, however the organic matter content only ranges from 0.2 to
0.25%.[2]
Classification:
Afghanistan generally falls under Aridisol which is characterized by the lack of available water. In Aridisol landscapes there is a process known as Calcification in which calcium salts build up in soft tissue causing it to harden.[1]
There is a little to no O or A Horizon.
Ranging from 0.2 to 0.25%
No E Horizon
B Horizon is generally the first layer in this area. This is where calcium carbonate accumulates.
K Horizon which is only found in Arid soil zones.
This is a mineral horizon of caliche which is usually extreamly hard.
The C Horizon is part of the earth lacking in organic
matter. Also known as Regolith it
includes typically dust, soil, and broken rock.[1]
What this means for the people:
Despite the harsh surface in most parts of Afghanistan the
soil in all is typically rich with nutrients.
In areas close to constant water source is lush and green. This is important when herding livestock of
lambs, sheep, cattle and other such animals.
Farmers also need a steady water source but they also use different kind
of fertilizers such as “white” fertilizer and Diammonium Phosphate. In many
cases fertilizer from livestock was used and even humans which is commonly
known as “night soil”.[1] When I was in Afghanistan I remember the
military having difficulty convincing the farmers to grow crops other then
hemp. Cannabis being a legal plant in Afghanistan
was simply the crop that paid the most and was not controlled by any drug
cartel or war faction.
[1] http://afghanag.ucdavis.edu/other-topic/soil-topics/soil-fact-sheets/FS_Soil_Fert_Use_Afghanistan.pdf
Image sources:
1. Photo taken by Craig Brice around 2006
2. Photo taken by Craig Brice around 2006
4. Photo taken by Craig Brice around 2006
5. Photo taken by Craig Brice around 2006
6. Photo taken by Craig Brice around 2006
