In northern Namibia's Kavango region, the vast majority of households live on subsistence farming without financial conditions allowing the use of chemical fertilisers or agricultural mechanisation. Hence, it is important to find low-cost management practices for a most effective use of natural resources that can be implemented by the people in the Kavango. Embedded in the BIOTA Southern Africa project, this study’s aim is to assess the degree of soil degradation effected by land use to provide a basis for sustainable management.