High-resolution digital soil mapping and fertility assessment for sustainable agriculture: Taiz and Lahj Governorates, Yemen

Abstract

This report presents the design, methodology, and technical implementation of a high-resolution (30 m) Digital Soil Mapping (DSM) initiative for Taiz and Lahj governorates in Yemen. The report integrates field-collected soil observations with open-access environmental data and machine-learning models to generate spatially explicit maps of 11 key soil fertility variables. The resulting soil maps are made accessible through a purpose-built interactive web dashboard that allows agricultural experts, policymakers, and field teams to visualize and query soil fertility data without requiring specialized GIS software. Together, the mapping framework and the dashboard form an end-to-end solution designed to support sustainable land management, crop planning, and fertilizer optimization across Yemen's priority agricultural zones.