Abstract. The Ecological Survey of Northern Rhodesia, undertaken in the 1930s under the leadership of Colin Trapnell, was a seminal exercise to relate soil, vegetation and agricultural practices through intensive field observation. In this article we examine early activities of the survey in the Upper Valley region around the Kafue Flats and the neighbouring plateau where Trapnell recognized how geomorphological processes of normal erosion gave rise to distinctive soils with associated vegetation communities and considerable potential for crop production. We consider how Trapnell's approach to field work gave him a particular insight into how soil conditions constrained agriculture in the Zambian environment, the adaptive value of traditional practices, and how these were developed as communities moved and responded to social, economic and environmental change. We argue that Trapnell's work was innovative, and that distinctions must be drawn between his understanding and what has been called the ecological theory of development. Close attention to Trapnell's experience could inform modern efforts to understand indigenous knowledge of African soils and their agricultural potential.

中文翻译：

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赞比亚特拉普内尔的上游山谷土壤：对地貌学、土壤学、生态学和土地利用的综合理解的产生

摘要。北罗得西亚生态调查于 20 世纪 30 年代在科林·特拉普内尔 (Colin Trapnell) 的领导下进行，是一项开创性的活动，旨在通过密集的实地观察将土壤、植被和农业实践联系起来。在本文中，我们研究了卡富埃平原周围的上游山谷地区和邻近高原的早期调查活动，特拉普内尔认识到正常侵蚀的地貌过程如何产生具有相关植被群落的独特土壤和巨大的作物生产潜力。我们考虑了特拉普内尔的实地工作方法如何让他对赞比亚环境中的土壤条件如何限制农业、传统做法的适应性价值以及这些随着社区迁移和应对社会、经济和环境变化而发展的独特见解。我们认为特拉普内尔的工作是创新的，必须区分他的理解和所谓的生态发展理论。密切关注特拉普内尔的经验可以为现代了解非洲土壤的本土知识及其农业潜力的努力提供信息。