Soil Erosion in the Philippines

Soil erosion and desertification in the Philippines is greatly impacting the nation. One hundred years ago at least ninety five percent of the country was covered by lush rain forest. Over fifteen years, from 1990 to 2005 the Philippines lost one third of its forest due to relentless logging. Although the desertification rate has dropped from twenty percent in the 1990's to now a small percentage of two. Inhabitants of the Philippines have been around for thousands for years and with hundreds and hundreds of years of destructive agriculture. Farmers plow the valuable soil to plant their cash crops only for it to washed away by the seasonal rain. also farmers planting crops on steep slopes of the mountains just makes the soil runoff problem that much harder to control. The 'slash and burn' methods to clear out trees for farm land also only makes it worse. With no trees the soil is loosened and easier to be washed away. It takes roughly two hundred to a thousand years to form two and half centimeters of topsoil. On average, the Philippines farm lands are loosing two and half centimeters ever sixteen years. That is seventeen times faster than its being replaced.

As for whats being done, people of the Philippines know that there is a soil problem, many trying to cut back old ways and old habits. Unfortunately the poor farmers of the Philippines are desperate, and eager to get money from their crops. It's sad to know that their selfish ways with greatly impact the future generations of the Philippines.