Category: National Research

Research Title: A review of soil degradation in the Philippines

Authors: Victor B. Asio1 , Reinhold Jahn2 , Federico O. Perez3 , Ian A. Navarrete4 and
Sergio M. Abit Jr.1
Date published: November 2009

“A review of soil degradation in the Philippines” is an article published by Victor B. Asio ,

Reinhold Jahn , Federico O. Perez, Ian A. Navarrete and Sergio M. Abit Jr. in November 2009.
The article shows the cause and effect of soil degradation.

According to Blum, soil is the medium in which most plants grow, it also cleans and stores water
as a human source of survival. But with the use of physical and chemical degradation, our
agricultural sector is unproductive. The researchers clearly stated on the information they
provided that according to the Global Assessment of Soil Degradation (GLASOD) which focuses
on the human-induced process (UNEP, 1992) says that Soil degradation occurs because of
drastic changes or disruption in the normal processes of soil formation due to human activities.

The article includes a map of the Philippines that depicts soil degradation, as well as data that
depicts the extent of the soil erosion problem in Leyte, Philippines. In addition, the researchers
include information on the average erosion rate by region in the Philippines in 1993. The
average erosion rate is clearly shown in the table provided in the article, indicating that region 1
has the most eroded soil, followed by region 7, and region 2 has the least eroded soil.
According to the researchers, soil degradation is a major ecological problem in the Philippines,
and degraded soil is a major contributor to the country's frequent disasters.

The research primarily focuses on soil erosion in the province of Leyte, but it should also include
the soil erosion problem throughout the Philippines to determine which provinces or cities have
the most soil degradation. We can also see which provinces and cities use the most physical
and chemical degradation, causing the soil to be unproductive.