3.3. Soil typology and related terminologies
Farmers use diverse terminologies to describe soils and to express the fertility status (Table 3). Asaase (land) and note ε (soil) are used interchangeably. Fertile soil is variously described as asaase a srade ε wo mu (land with fat), asaase a aduane wo mu (land with food) or asaase a ahoɔden wo mu (land with strength). Soil with low fertility is described as asaase no abrε (the land is tired), asaase mu srade ε asa (the fat in the soil is depleted), asaase mu ahoɔden asa (the strength in the soil is depleted) or asaase mu aduane asa (the food in the land is exhausted). Land that has been fallowed long enough to regain its ‘strength’ (fertility) is described as asaase bere ε (matured/ripened land). Asaase bere ε is usually dark in colour and is described as nɔte ε tuntum (black soil). Red and clayey soils are referred to as nɔte ε kɔkɔɔ or note ε twintwaan (elastic soil) are of intermediate fertility while note ε fitaa/fufuo (white/pale soil) is considered to be of low fertility.