Soil erosion and sedimentation in Swaziland: an introduction

Although it is widely recognised that gully and sheet erosion threaten sustained agricultural production in much of Swaziland, very little information is available about the current status of erosion and whether the situation is worsening. Since the country is very active geomorphologically, it is not clear whether an inherently erodible environment or human impact is the major causal factor explaining the severity and spatial distribution of erosion. Soil erosion is associated particularly with deeply weathered saprolite but few studies have been made on applied issues related to the physical and chemical properties of this material.