“Our Soils are Sick”: Addressing Soil Health, Energy, Land, Governance and Gender Complexities through Critical Zone Approaches in Lilongwe River Upper Catchment Area of Malawi

The Lilongwe River Upper Catchment Area (LRUC) exemplifies the urgent need for Critical Zone Science (CZS) in Africa, where biophysical degradation and socio-political inequities converge. This study applies a CZ lens to investigate how soil health deterioration, land commodification, governance fragmentation, and gendered struggles intersect to undermine ecological livability and community resilience. Preliminary findings reveal alarming soil erosion rates exceeding global tolerable limits, rapid land-use transformations driven by urbanization and infrastructure expansion, and persistent exclusion of women from land and resource governance.

By integrating soil health assessments, geospatial analysis, ethnographic inquiry, and participatory community engagement, the Malawi CZA team identifies critical micro-watersheds where ecological degradation and human vulnerability overlap. Modeling of Nature-Based Solutions (NbS), including reforestation, contour farming, and integrated agroecological practices, demonstrates pathways to restore soil function, regulate hydrology, and enhance resilience under future climate scenarios. Importantly, the research situates soil health as both an ecological indicator and a sociopolitical marker, revealing how commodification and complex tenure systems exacerbate inequities.

This work contributes to global CZ science by foregrounding African environmentalism and community-driven approaches, while linking directly to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1 (poverty reduction), 2 (food security), 5 (gender equality), and 15 (life on land). By framing LRUC as a social-ecological system shaped by material flows and governance structures, the Malawi CZA initiative demonstrates how CZ methodologies can inform inclusive policies, strengthen grassroots participation, and advance equitable sustainability in rapidly transforming landscapes.