Soil manipulations through adoption of either agroforestry
based conservation or maize based conventional tillage were the
principal anthropogenic factor that causes variations in soil
properties. Understanding the effect of these land management
practices on soil property changes is quite important for the
prediction of soil behavior and its response to different management
options. The investigated soil under AFCST has shown
improvements in moisture contents, water infiltration capacity
and low soil bulk density, favoring good soil structure, aeration and
root penetration. These improvements were a direct result of high
SOM and less soil disturbance in AFCST. Therefore, AFCST is a goodmanagement option for rehabilitation and improvement of soil
qualities.
The soil under MCVT has shown poor physico-chemical
properties for crop production. Thus, these soil properties should
be maintained and restored through appropriate soil management
practices (e.g. application of minimum tillage, mulching, planting
multi-purpose trees, adding manure and compost). There should
be a shift in the soil management practice from MCVT to
appropriate AFCST.