Mindanao Topsoil Loss 2-4 Centimeters Annually

[hatrack]

DAVAO CITY -- "Inappropriate farming techniques have led to the annual loss of two to four centimeters of top soil to erosion, a consultant of the European Union-funded Upland Development Programme in southern Mindanao (UDP-SM) said the other day.

Kenneth Proud, UDP Soil and Water Conservation technical consultant, said that the soil depths in the six provinces covered by the program have already gone down to dangerous levels. "This is very alarming, your soil is disappearing," he said.

He said some countries in Europe, tempered by the cold climate, only lose about one centimeter every 100 years while the Philippines loses about 2-4 centimeters each year. Other Southeast Asian nations, with soil characteristics similar to Philippines', recognized the extent of soil erosion and are doing something about it. "Malaysia, for example, has some conservation measures. There are some options available," he said. One of the options is to diversify farming where farmers should only plant fruit and forest trees in slopes while concentrating crops and vegetables in more "gentle areas" that do not possess much incline.

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He said massive loss of soil is actually a result of the evolution of farming in the country. "It started from the cutting of trees, to burning, to the inappropriate farming system," he said. Abalus also pointed out the wrong application of fertilizers, mono-cropping, and non-application of soil and water conservation measures as among the factors contributing to soil loss."

EDIT

http://www.mindanews.com/2004/10/05nws-udp.html