Chapter 1

1.1 introduction

Soil degradation is a serious environmental problem that can result to far reaching consequences
in food security, ecosystem, climate change, etc. It is reported that almost 33% of the Earth’s soil
is already degraded and over 90% could become degraded by 2050 (FAO and ITPS, 2015;
IPBES, 2018) moreover, this problem could lead up to 50% loss in crop yields (FAO) which
can greatly affect agriculture negatively. In Latin America, a region in North and south
America, It is reported that 14% of its soil has been affected by land degradation (UNCCD), in
the Philippines, it was reported that about 5.2 million hectares are seriously degraded resulting to
30-50% of reduction in soil productivity (NAP 2004), and in Ilocos Norte, a province in the
northern Philippines ,through the Sustainable Development Center (SDC), have been doubling
their efforts in advising the farmers to use fertilizers to restore their soil productivity.
To help conquer this issue, the study of how chicken manure can help as fertilizer for tomato
was set up, the study emphasizes the benefits and qualities that can help farmers to expand their
crop yield and help minimize the damage of soil reduction. Poultry manure contains all of the 13
essential plant nutrients that are used by plants, these include nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium,
calcium, magnesium, sulfur, and molybdenum (Chastain, Camberato, & Skewes, p. 3-b-1),
nevertheless, farmers have already been using poultry manure as fertilizers even before when it
was introduced as fertilizer, some use it as soil amendment by adding organic matter, which
boosts the soil’s moisture and productivity, although the effect will vary on temperature,
weather, amount of water and sunlight, and other environmental factors.

Purpose of Research
The purpose of this research is to help solve the problem of soil reduction, help the famers
improve their livelihood, and help minimize unwanted damage from excessive use of non-
organic fertilizers. with the approaching dangers of soil degradation, organic fertilizer can help
prevent this from happening by gradually reducing the damages done and identifying the sources
of the harm, in addition, it can help the farmers save more and enhance their harvest’s quality
without harming the environment.