Module 04:

Agriculture, Aquaculture,
& the Environment

Mayzonee V. Ligaray, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology
University of the Philippines Diliman
Agriculture, Aquaculture, & the Environment

Activities for this module:

• Basic Concepts (See slides for summary)
• Reference Chapter 11, Botkins & Miller 8th ed
• Watch video on All About Soil uploaded in UVLe
• Reading material for Aquaculture:
Camacho, A. S., & Macalincag-Lagua, N. (1988). The Philippine aquaculture industry (J. V. Juario &
L. V. Benitez (eds.)) [Conference paper]. Aquaculture Department, Southeast Asian Fisheries
Development Center. http://hdl.handle.net/10862/141
• Watch videos on Permaculture
• What is Permaculture? (And Why Should I Care?):
https://youtu.be/QXTXNSWOAqQ
• The Permaculture Principles: https://youtu.be/0mwRAf3z9ag
 Basic Concepts: Ecological Perspective on Agriculture
What is an agroecosystem? How does it differ from natural ecosystems?
Ecological succession is halted to keep the
agroecosystem in an early-successional state.

Biological diversity and food chains are simplified.

• The focus is on monoculture, one plant species rather than

many.

Crops are planted in neat rows and fields.

Agroecosystems require plowing, which is unlike

any natural soil disturbance.

They may include genetically modified crops.

Figure: How farming changes an ecosystem. It converts complex ecosystems of high structural and species diversity to a monoculture of uniform structure, and
greatly modifies the soil. (Source: Botkin & Miller 8th ed)
 Basic Concepts: Crops
• Of Earth’s half-million plant species, only about 3,000 species have been used as agricultural crops and
only 150 species have been cultivated on a large scale.
• Forage – these crops are grown as food for domestic animals.

(Source: Philippine Statistics Authority) (Source: Philippine Statistics Authority)

The country's main agricultural crops are rice, corn, coconut, sugarcane, bananas, pineapple, coffee, mangoes, tobacco,
and abaca (a banana-like plant). Secondary crops include peanut, cassava, camote (a type of rootcrop), garlic, onion,
cabbage, eggplant, calamansi (a variety of lemon), rubber, and cotton.

Read more: https://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific/Philippines-AGRICULTURE.html#ixzz6ZgXMZKNB

Basic Concepts: Crops
Basic Concepts: Livestock
Is grazing on rangelands an environmental benefit or problem?
• Worldwide, people keep 14 billion chickens, 1.3 billion cattle, more than 1 billion sheep, more than a billion ducks,
almost a billion pigs, 700 million goats, more than 160 million water buffalo, and about 18 million camels.
• Rangeland – provides food for grazing and browsing animals without plowing and planting.
• Pasture – plowed, planted, and harvested to provide forage for animals.

Some examples of environmental impacts of grazing:

Advantages of Grazing Disadvantages of Grazing

• Can be used to control invasive plants • Damage habitats

• Incorporates organic matter from • Destroy native plants
plants into soils • Can cause soil erosion
• Can enhance mineral availability • Can lead to water contamination in
through nutrient cycling riparian habitats
Basic Concepts: Livestock
Basic Concepts: Livestock
Philippines Livestock Agriculture Types of Farms:
• Backyard Farm refers to any livestock/poultry farm household, whether farming or non-farming, tending at
least one head/bird of animals and does not qualify as a commercial farm.

• Commercial Farm refers to any livestock/poultry farm which satisfies at least one of the following conditions:
• Tending at least 21 heads of adult and at least zero head of young
• Tending at least 41 heads of young animals
• Tending at least 10 heads of adult and at least 22 heads of young
• At least 500 layer, or 1, 000 broiler chicken
• At least 100 layers and 100 broilers if raised in combination
• At least 100 birds of duck regardless of age

The Philippine Statistics Authority usually surveys the following major commodities:
• four (4) livestock (cattle, carabao, goat and swine)
• four (4) poultry (chicken, chicken egg, duck and duck egg)

(Source: Philippine Statistics Authority)

Food Security
Global Food Security
• Hunger levels remain high
• Increasing food insecurity
• Agricultural Price Index is 14% higher in
June 16, 2022 compared to January 2022.
• Domestic price inflation continues to rise:
94% of low-income,
89% of lower-middle-income,
83% of upper-middle-income, and
70% of high-income countries.
• IPC Acute Food Insecurity Classification
• Phase 1: Minimal/None
• Phase 2: Stressed
• Phase 3: Crisis
• Phase 4: Emergency
• Phase 5: Catastrophe/Famine

Integrated food security Phase Classification (IPC)

Cadre harmonise/harmonized framework (CH)

Sources: World Bank

Food Security
Populations in Emergency Populations in Stressed

Integrated food security Phase Classification (IPC)

Cadre harmonise/harmonized framework (CH)

Sources: World Bank

Food Security
In 2021, the number of people in Crisis or worse (IPC/CH Phase 3 or above) or equivalent
reached the highest level in the six editions of the Global Report on Food Crises.

Integrated food security Phase Classification (IPC)

Cadre harmonise/harmonized framework (CH)

Sources: World Bank

Food Security

Sources: World Bank

Food Security

Sources: World Bank

All About Soils
Soils
Soil Fertility
- Capacity of the soil to supply nutrients necessary for
plant growth
- Soils from geologically young materials are rich in
nutrients
- Humid and tropical areas may have heavily leached
soils

Restoring our Soils

- Organic fertilizers and animal manure improves soil
fertility, but with drawbacks
- Limiting factors include the types of chemicals
(macro- and micronutrients) required by crops
- Liebig’s law of the minimum: The growth of a plant is
affected by one limiting factor at a time—the one
whose availability is the least in comparison to the
needs of a plant.
Fertilizers and Pesticides
Major Inorganic Fertilizers in the Philippines (N-P-K ratio):
• Urea (46-0-0)
• Ammonium Sulfate (21-0-0)
• Ammonium Phosphate (16-20-0)
• Diammonium Phosphate (18-46-0)
• Complete (14-14-14)
• Muriate of Potash (0-0-60)

Most common types of pesticides in the Philippines:

• Organophosphates
• Carbamates
• Pyrethoids

Most common crops that use pesticides:

• Vegetables
• Banana
• Rice
Aquaculture and the Environment
Philippine Aquaculture
Objectives of aquaculture development
1. Increased aquaculture contribution to
total food fish requirement;
2. Improved incomes for rural families;
3. Improved and efficient utilization of
culture areas and accelerated
development of underutilized fishponds;
4. Increased utilization of lakes, rivers,
other inland bodies of water, and coastal
areas appropriate for mariculture; and
5. Increased export of aquaculture
produced products.
Major aquaculture species in the
Philippines:
• Seaweed (mainly Kappaphycus and
Eucheuma spp.)
• Milkfish (Chanos chanos)
• Tilapia (mainly Nile tilapia Oreochromis
niloticus)
• Shrimp (mainly giant tiger prawn Penaeus
monodon)
• Carp (mainly bighead carp Aristichthys
nobilis)
• Oyster (slipper cupped oyster Crassostrea
iredalei)
• Mussel (green mussel Perna viridis )
Source: https://www.fao.org/fishery/en/countrysector/naso_philippines
Philippine Aquaculture

General constraints and problems:

1. Poor quality, dwindling supply, low survival rate, high incidence of abnormalities,
outbreak of diseases in some aquaculture species.
2. High cost and poor quality of feeds
3. Lack of biodegradable pesticides
4. Impact of aquaculture drugs and chemicals on the environment and public health
5. Lack of culture technologies for new species
6. Effective quarantine measures for new aquaculture species brought into the country
7. Pollution and environmental degradation
8. Technology for recycling wastewater from intensive and semi-intensive farms
9. Weak information exchange and networking in the marketing of aquaculture
products
10. Lack of appropriate policies in aquaculture

Source: Aypa SM. 1995. Aquaculture in the Philippines, pp. 137-147. In: Bagarinao TU, Flores EEC (eds) Towards Sustainable Aquaculture in Southeast Asia and Japan. SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department, Iloilo, Philippines.
Best Management Practices in Agriculture
What do Best Management Practices (BMP) in Agriculture mean?
A BMP is defined as a means, a practice or combination of practices determined by the
coordinating agencies, based on research, field testing and expert review, to be the most
effective and practicable on-location means, including economic and technological
considerations, for improving water quality in agricultural and urban discharges.

Categories of practices include:

• Nutrient management to determine nutrient needs and sources and manage nutrient
applications (including manure) to minimize impacts to water resources.
• Irrigation management to address the method and scheduling of irrigation to reduce water
and nutrient losses to the environment.
• Water resource protection using buffers, setbacks and swales to reduce or prevent the
transport of sediments and nutrients from production areas to waterbodies.

Source: New Hampshire Department of Agriculture

Group Activity for CP points

Address an environmental issue of the Philippine agriculture and

aquaculture industries through the following categories of practices:

• Nutrient management to determine nutrient needs and sources and

manage nutrient applications (including manure) to minimize impacts to
water resources.
• Irrigation management to address the method and scheduling of
irrigation to reduce water and nutrient losses to the environment.
• Water resource protection using buffers, setbacks and swales to reduce
or prevent the transport of sediments and nutrients from production
areas to waterbodies.
Homework 1

Submit on Tuesday, Oct 24 (1 sheet of yellow paper, handwritten)

Questions (5pts each):

1. What is your opinion on the population growth of the Philippines?

2. What are the possible solutions for population control in the Philippines? Pick one and explain how will it
be implemented.

3. What are the environmental impacts of farming in our country and how do they affect the environment
and biodiversity?

4. Explain how we can better preserve Philippine forests and wetlands.

Take care and stay safe! J