Soil Health and Sustainable Land Resource Management Practices at Municipal Level: A Case from Bheri Nagarpalika (Municipality), Jajorkot District, Nepal

Abstract

The increasing challenges of pressure and ever-growing demands on limited resources in Nepal by diverse actors, land degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change require the rational use of land resources to sustain and enhance productivity and maintain resilient ecosystems for achieving the sustainable and efficient use of resources, taking into account biophysical and socioeconomic dimensions. Regarding this, Nepal Government has realized and taken initiation of scientific and sustainable land use zoning following the National Land Use Act 2019 (2076 B.S.) to use land resources in practicable and sustainable manner. Using spatial information techniques such asZ-3 satellite image, remote sensing (RS), global positioning system (GPS) and geographic information system (GIS). Multicriteria decision making (MCDM) methods for acquiring spatial/temporal data, through expert judgment techniques based on field observation as well as laboratory analysis result, it was found that the soil nutrient status of, the municipality varied spatially and has pH with very high acidic to slightly alkaline but most of the soils are slightly acidic (39.58%). Majority of the soil are loam and sandy loam type with very low to high level of organic matter. Most of the municipal area is under medium range of organic matter. Nitrogen content ranges from very low to very high level as to same ranges of phosphorous (37.69%). Potassium level is also in very high to low as 37 percent land area has high level of potassium. Reclamation of acidic soil mainly in leachable soil is recommended with the proper management of Nitrogen with addition of organic matter is needed to manage for improving crop production.