A survey of 1:50 000 scale aerial photographs and a SPOT satellite image showed that microtopographical variation comprising high and low areas is widespread in the landscape of eastern Botswana. These features are of two kinds; parallel ridges and discrete mounds. Microtopography is defined as surface height differences between 0.2 and 0.8 m over distances of up to 50 m which are not due to the overall land-slope. Soil variability associated with these features was investigated in two farmers' fields. In both cases the high areas consisted of soils with greater pH values, clay contents, water-holding capacities and nutrient status. The low areas in the fields were sandier, less fertile, had higher infiltration rates and suffered nutrient leaching. The linear type of microtopography was restricted to higher slope areas (< 1%) and was seen to be associated with down-slope water movement, whereas the mound features were limited to low slope areas (0.5% or less) that displayed little evidence of runoff. The formation of each kind of high area was found to be associated with termites ( Odontotermes spp). The widespread nature of this systematic, local soil variability is expected to have far-reaching consequences for the success of arable crop production and the design of agricultural experiments.