SOIL EROSION CONTROL THROUGH PARAGIS GRASS (Eleusine indica) BUFFER STRIPS IN SIMULATED PLOTS |Chapter 1/3|
Chapter 1. Soil Erosion in the Philippines
As a partial fulfillment for my bachelor degree (Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering) last year I conducted a study that tackled the undeniable problem of the Philippines in terms of agricultural and environmental issue--soil erosion, and proposed an innovative mitigation.
This chapter will mainly tackle the causes, the degree, the effects to agriculture, and the importance of mitigation of soil erosion in the Philippines.
Causes of Soil Erosion
The Philippines is highly susceptible to soil erosion, given its steep topography, heavy rain events, and deforested uplands (Olabisi, 2009).
The natural factors affecting soil erosion by water include rainfall, vegetative cover, the slope of the land, and soil erodibility (Lal, 1984; Presbitero, 2003, as cited by Asio et al., 2009).
The Philippines has a wet tropical climate with an annual rainfall ranging from about 1,000mm in the south to more than 4,000mm in mountainous areas, particularly along the eastern coast of the archipelago (Asio et al., 2009).
This is aggravated by the occurrence of an average of 15-20 typhoons per year (PCARRD, 2009 as cited by Asio et al., 2009).
Degree of Soil Erosion in the Philippines
The NAP (2004) estimated that 33, 21, and 46 percent of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao are severely eroded, as cited by Asio et al. (2009).
Soil erosion has been considered one of the Philippines’ worst environmental problems and a serious threat to the country’s agricultural sustainability (Tujan, 2000 as cited by Olabisi, 2012).
The National Action Plan (NAP) of the Philippines (2004) as cited by Asio et al. (2009) reported that about 5.2 million hectares are seriously degraded, resulting in a 30 to 50% reduction in soil productivity and water retention capacity.
Effects of Soil Erosion to Agriculture
Soil erosion removes the usually fertile topsoil, reducing the soil's productive capacity (Asio et al., 2009).
Soil erosion may lead to soil unproductivity, causing poor agricultural product harvest.
It is not to mention the crucial role of the soil on the survival of human through food.
Mitigation of Soil Erosion
Most approaches to erosion in the literature and practice hypothesize that erosion may be adequately controlled at the farm level through appropriate technologies (Olabisi, 2012).
Erhart and Hartl (2009) mentioned that because agriculture occupies the largest proportion of land, agricultural management is decisive for soil conservation and quality.
Lal (2009) recommended five (5) tenets of sustainable agriculture, and one of them was soil restoration.
Sustainable agriculture is an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long term, satisfy human food and fiber needs, enhance environmental quality and the natural resource-based upon which the agricultural economy depends, and make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls, sustain the economic viability of farm operations, and enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole (Dela Cruz et al ., 2011).
Why is Soil Erosion Mitigation Important?
According to Lal (2009), restoring the quality of degraded, desertified, depleted, and contaminated soils is essential for meeting the demands of an increasing population with growing aspirations for high standards of living.
The world population of 6.75 billion in 2008 is projected to reach 9.2 billion by 2050, almost all the increase in future population will occur in developing countries where soil and water resources are already under great stress (Lal, 2009).
It is alarming that soils are under increasing pressure by erosion, decline in organic matter, contamination, sealing, compaction, decline in biodiversity, salinization, floods, and landslides (Erhart and Hartl, 2009).
It is evident based on the statements of prominent authors and researchers above, that soil erosion is a very widespread issue. It affects people from various ways — agriculture, environment, and even on food supply.
What can we do about it?
The second chapter of this book talks about buffer strip as a way of mitigating soil erosion.
Read Chapter 2 here:
REFERENCES
Asio, V.B., Abit, S.M., Jr., Jahn, R., Navarrete and I.A., Pere, F.O. 2009. A Review of Soil Degradation in The Philippines. Annals of Tropical Research. Vol. 31, Issue 2, Pages 69-94.
De La Cruz, R., Maghirang, R.G. and Villareal, R.L., 2011. How Sustainable is Organic Agriculture in the Philippines? Trans. Nat. Acad. Sci. & Tech.Philippines) Vol. 33, Issue 2, Page 289.
Erhart, E. and Hartl, W. 2009. Soil Protection Trough Organic Farming: A Review. Sustainable Agriculture Reviews. Organic Farming, Pest Control, and Remediation of Soil Pollutants. Vol. 1, Page 203.
Lal, R. 2009. Mother of Necessity: The Soil. Sustainable Agriculture Reviews. Vol. 1, Page 5.
Olabisi, L.S. 2012. Article in Society and Natural Resources. Uncovering the Root Causes of Soil Erosion in the Philippines. Michigan State University.
[To Illumination editors: Hi, thank you for reading this article. This is my thesis last year. I'm very open for feed back and comments, especially if there is something I can do to make this better. I'm a new writer so I very much welcome your expertise. Thanks. :)
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