Department of Agriculture

BUREAU OF SOILS AND WATER MANAGEMENT

STATE OF SOIL AND WATER RESOURCES FOR

AGRICULTURE

SAMUEL M. CONTRERAS
Chief Agriculturist
 Philippine Land Resources
Total Land Area 30 M ha
Classified Forest Lands 15.05 M ha (50%)2
Unclassified Forest Land 0.76 M ha ( 3%)2
Alienable and Disposable Lands 14.19 M ha (47%)2
Agricultural Area 1 7.19 M ha (24%)3 ( PSA, 2015)
Irrigated Area 1.856 M ha (59.32% of total potential
irrigable area) (As of Dec 2016)4
1 Refers to all Farms/Holdings
2 Source : Land Management Bureau, DENR Accessed Jul 3, 2017
3. Source: http://countrystat.psa.gov.ph/?cont=3. Accessed August 17, 2017
4 Source: NIA Website
 Our Land Today !!

Source:https://www.uppi.upd.edu.ph/research/projects
/sit - UP Population Institute
LAND DEGRADATION ! !

 Soil erosion is the dominant form

of land degradation
 Land and soil are under pressure
to produce more to satisfy the
increasing human needs
 Lead to land degradation –
reduction or loss of economic and
biological productivity......
Human-induced activities…….

Steep sloping land being cultivated for agriculture Deforestation

Up hill and down hill cultivation Quarrying/Mining

Farmers occupy vulnerable and high risk areas !

 Upland farmers occupy and access

even in the so-called danger zones
(i.e. landslide prone areas)
Land Degradation & On-site Impacts!!

Sheet and rill erosion……..

Gully erosion…..
Consequential damage or off-site impacts….
• Siltation and pollution of dams, rivers, lakes and other waterways
• Flooding and water scarcity

Over-flowing Flooded corn

River fields

Siltation of Rivers

Excessive Runoff

Insufficient irrigation water

Reduced Streamflow
Philippine LUS

Land Use Systems (final)

Agric land, irrigated: Irrigated rice
Agric land, rainfed: Rainfed rice and corn
Agric land, rainfed: Coconut
Agric land, rainfed: Sugarcane
Agric land, rainfed: Diversified crops
Bare areas, unmanaged
Forest, mangroves
Forest, plantations
Forest, protected
Grassland, unmanaged
Grassland, with low livestock density
Grassland, with high livestock density
Open water, inland fisheries, brackish water
Open water, inland fisheries, fresh water
Shrubs, unmanaged
Urban land
Wetlands, unmanaged
BSWM
 STATUS OF LAND DEGRADATION
STATUS OF LAND DEGRADATION

Vulnerable Areas (11.45 M ha or 38 %)

• Sloping agricultural areas, which are not
practicing soil and water conservation
measures
• Sloping areas with minimal vegetative cover
or those denuded forests, shrubs and
grasslands.
Hotspots (2.6 M ha)
• Areas requiring immediate interventions or
priority areas for land conservation measures
• Agricultural areas, greater than 18 % slope
with severe erosion
• Denuded forests, shrubs and grasslands with
slopes of more than 18%
Problem Soils.........

Problem Soils Extent (ha) % of Total Area

Steep slopes > 30% 8,900,000 29.70
Poor drainage 91,000 0.30
Coarse texture soils 480,000 1.60
Heavy cracking soils 766,000 2.55
Severe fertility limitations 12,100,000 40.00
Saline soils 600,000 2.00
Acid sulfate soils 27,000 0.10
Peat soils 16,000 0.05
Source: Alcasid , G. N. 1991. Management and Utilization of Acid Soils
 The Philippine Water Resources

Annual Average Rainfall 2,370 mm

Lowest 960 mm (Gen. Santos City)

Highest 4,050 mm (Infanta, Quezon)
Annual aver. runoff 1,000 mm

Principal River Basins 421 (Drainage A = 41 – 2,780 sq.km)

Major River Basins 20 (Drainage A > 990 sq. km)

Natural Lakes 59

Groundwater Reservoir 50, 000 sq. km.

Source: NWRB, 2008

 Water Resources
Water availability projection in MCM/year by water
resources region
Estimated
Water Surface Water Water
Total available
The Table indicates Groundwater
Resources that some water resources @ 80%
Potential
Demand
water in
Region Dependability in 2025
region will still have sufficient water available until 2025

2025 while others

I particularly
1,248those located within
3,250 4,498 3,041 1,457

and/or near high

II growth centers
2,825 (Regions II,8,510
III, IV, V 11,335 12,466 -1,131

and VII) mayIIIexperience water

1,721deficit in 2025.
7,890 9,611 18,168 -8,557

IV 1,410 6,370 7,780 10,052 -2,272

V 1,085 3,060 4,145 4,167 -22

VI 1,144 14,200 15,341 7,595 7,749

VII 879 2,060 2,939 2,729 210

VIII 2,557 9,350 11,907 1,956 9,951

IX 1,082 12,100 13,182 4,598 8,584

X 2,116 29,000 31,116 3,682 27,434

XI 2,375 11,300 13,675 4,141 9,534

XII 1,758 18,700 20,458 12,806 7,652

TOTAL 20,200 125,790 145,990 85,401 60,586

Source: Master Plan for Water Resources Development in the Philippines, JICA-NWRB, 1998
Water Withdrawal by Sector (2013)
Domestic
Industry
8%
11%

Agriculture
81%

Source: National Water Resources Board

Surface Water
Classified Inland Water Bodies:
 239 as potential sources of drinking water (i.e. Class AA and A
 197 as Class B – waters that can be used for primary recreation
 333 as Class C – fishery waters for the propagation and growth of fish and
aquatic resources
 27 as Class D – being allowed for agriculture, irrigation, livestock watering
and suited for cooling purposes
Source: Environmental Management Bureau National Quality Report 2006-2013

Despite the abundant water resources , the 2006 Philippine Situationer Report
showed an impending water crisis in the country indicated by environmental
symptoms in terms of dried up, silted, and polluted rivers and degraded
ecosystems
Groundwater Use
Based on Water right granted by NWRB:
 53% is consumed by domestic sector
 25% by agriculture
 14% by industry
 8% by other sectors
However, majority of groundwater extraction particularly STW for
irrigation are without water right and permit.

Source: Environmental Management Bureau National Quality Report 2006-2013

THE CHALLENGE!!
• Land degradation has resulted to the decline in services that healthy land
provides particularly for food and agriculture (UNCCD 2012);
• It is a serious environmental problem that damages agriculture resource base and
habitats of biodiversity resources above and below ground surface;
• It is associated with soil erosion, siltation of irrigation systems, flooding, reduced
vegetative cover and loss of habitats (biological degradation); soil pollution; and
water degradation (deteriorating water quality and quantity);
• Land degradation is the main research challenge considering on-site and off-site
impacts, thus, the Strategic Framework for Soil and Water Resources Agenda
for 2017-2022 will address Sustainable Habitat for Agriculture and Agri-based
Livelihood toward Area-based Food Security complementary to Commodity-
based RDE Agenda.
 CHALLENGE & ISSUE:
Declining quality of
agricultural lands
[LAND DEGRADATION]
Area-Based Food Security
COMMODITY-
BASED R & D
Sustainable Habitat
for Agriculture &
Agri-based Livelihood

Soil carbon stock Surface & shallow

development groundwater development

Soil health Long-term Water resources

improvement & Monitoring, Data development &
management warehousing management

Strategic Framework for the Soil and Water Resources R & D/E Agenda and
Inter-sectoral Partnership for Climate Change Adaptation and Biodiversity
(Food Security, Environment and Climate Change Nexus Relative to Soil & Water R & D)