From UPI.com.

International experts have created a Soil Atlas of Africa for agricultural and nonagricultural purposes that they say will foster understanding of Africa’s soil.

Despite soil’s importance, most people in Africa lack knowledge about soil partly because  information tends to be in publications read only by scientists, researchers said in an article in UPI.com.

The soil atlas, created by the European Commission’s Joint Research Center, is not just for researchers but also for farmers, investors, land managers and policymakers.

Experts from the European Commission, African Union and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization participated in the project.

The atlas will help regional users learn about trends, problem hot spots and patterns of soil distribution, Nairobi natural resources consultant Peter Okoth told Britain’s “The Guardian,” the report said.

The atlas identifies regions such as Central Africa, some parts of West Africa and Southern Africa where a type of fertile soil called vertisol, which maximizes crop yields, is found.

The map will help decision makers decide where to invest in food production and urbanization, said Robert Zougmore, regional program manager for West Africa at the CGIAR research program on climate change, agriculture and food security.

Read more at UPI.com.