PHILIPPINE SETTING

Members:
De Vera, Denay D.
Landicho, John Reynold
Dela Cruz, Jezreel
Castillo, Juville
Aca-ac, Jessebelle V.
B. HUMAN DEPENDENCY ON SOIL
What is soil?
Soil is made up of minerals from rocks, organic matter from plants and animals, and
the many species’ living in the soil. Earthworms keep soils clean by digesting the soil
and their movement keeps the soil fresh, as do moles. Bacteria in the soil recycle
nitrogen and carbon, fungi transport nutrients and help to decompose organic
matter. Intricate root systems of plants and trees provide shelter and food for lots of
organisms. Soil is a thriving ecosystem.

Why is soil important to us?

Soil is incredibly useful. It acts as a drainage system when it rains to absorb water
therefore preventing floods. This drainage also filters water to clean it as minerals
and micro-organisms in the soil detoxify the water of pollutants. These processes are
referred to as ecosystem services, where natural processes benefit humans.

-“Soil In nature”
In nature, soil functions as a filter, decomposing and recycling chemical and organic
materials, providing plants the natural nutrients needed for sustained growth. It also
provides habitat for numerous plants and animals, including humans.

-“Healthy soils gives us clean air and water”

Water emerging from some deep ground water, may have fallen as rain many tens,
hundreds, thousands of years ago. Soil and rock layers naturally filter the ground
water to a high degree of clarity, healthy soils = healthy ecosystems.

-“Abundant crops
Successful”
Vegetation is dependent upon the quality of the soil. Poor soil yields poor crops,
while good, rich soil increases biomass and leads to abundant crops.

-“Sometimes soil gets disturbed”

Soil disturbances are both natural, i.e. flooding, slides, etc. or caused by man thru
infrastructure improvement or development. These disturbances need to be
addressed, and a sustainable remediation used
-“Naturally”
Flooding can displace soil and smother existing plants resulting in a depletion of
diversity and the increased chance of erosion.

-“Resulting in a loss of biological function”

Soil supports the growth of a variety of plants, animals, and soil microorganisms,
usually by providing a diverse physical, chemical, and biological habitat.

-“Unable to support plant life”

Without proper soil structure and function soils cannot support vegetation.

Our “Top ten” for why your life depends on soil

10. Soil is forgiving….soil is a dynamic resource that can be restored and used again
in the lifetime of a human.

9. Unless you live in a houseboat, your house is likely built on soil (even a houseboat
is built from wood that came from a tree growing on soil).

8. Care for a beer? Not gonna happen without those plants that just happen to grow in
soil.

7. Worried about global warming? Then be happy that soil sequesters about 2x the
amount of carbon found in all vegetation and the atmosphere combined!

6. Cotton doesn’t just come from the mall…You get a lot of your clothes from crops
that grow on soil.

5. Ever been sick? You probably have taken an antibiotic that was derived from
organisms in the soil.

4. Ever drink water from a well or stream? You could likely die of contaminated water
if there was not soil to filter water for drinking.

3. Enjoy eating? You would likely starve to death if you could not eat plants that grow
in soil.

2. Like breathing? You probably would not be breathing if there was not soil for plants
to grow in that produce the oxygen keeping you alive.

1. Imagine a world where nothing that died decomposed…bet you REALLY like soil
C. SOIL FORMATION

 Soil is the thin layer of material covering the earth’s surface and is formed
from the weathering of rocks.

WEATHERING
Factors affecting soil formation
• Physical weathering —breakdown of rocks from the result of a mechanical
action. Temperature changes, abrasion (when rocks collide with each other)
or frost can all cause rocks to break down.

• Chemical weathering —breakdown of rocks through a change in their

chemical makeup. This can happen when the minerals within rocks react with
water, air or other chemicals.

• Biological weathering —the breakdown of rocks by living things. Burrowing

animals help water and air get into rock, and plant roots can grow into cracks
in the rock, making it split.

Five Fundamental Soil Formation Process

 Parent material

 Topography

 Organisms

 Climate

 Time

1. PARENT MATERIAL

This refers to the mineral material, or organic material from which the
soil is formed. Soils will carry the characteristics of its parent material such as
color, texture, structure, mineral composition and so on.

2. TOPOGRAPHY(RELIEF)
The shape, length and grade of a slope affect drainage. The aspect of a slope
determines the type of vegetation and indicates the amount of rainfall received.
These factors change the way soils form.
3. ORGNISM
Soil formation is influenced by organisms (such as plants), micro-organisms
(such as bacteria or fungi), burrowing insects, animals and humans.

4. CLIMATE
Temperature affects the rate of weathering and organic decomposition. With a
colder and drier climate, these processes can be slow but, with heat and
moisture, they are relatively rapid.

5. TIME
Soil takes time to form.

D. SOIL EROSION
EROSION
-is the largest cause of loss of topsoil. It is also the leading cause of sediment
deposits in ditches, streams, rivers, lakes and oceans. Soil erosion also causes water
quality issues. As the sediment is transported downstream, much of the sediment
from erosion is suspended in the water making it look dirty instead of clear
- is another big force that breaks or transports rock particles from one place
to another by natural process.

AGENT OF EROSION
 Gravity
 Waves
 Wind
 Water
 Glaciers

WHERE EROSION DOES OCCURS?

• Anywhere that fast moving water moves across soil, erosion can occur.
• Erosion occurs more frequently where the ground is sloped with a steep
grade, not on flat ground.
• Places where there are no roots from vegetation holding the soil in place
require less water speed to cause erosion.
• Erosion occurs more frequently within soils with a small particle size.
CAUSES OF EROSION
1. RAINFALL AND FLOODING

Greater duration and intensity of rainstorm means greater potential for

soil erosion.

4 major types of soil erosion

1. Rill erosion

2. Gully erosion

3. Sheet erosion

4. Splash erosion

2. RIVERS AND STREAMS

The flow of rivers and streams causes valley erosion. The water flowing
in the rivers and streams tend to eat away the soils along the water systems
leading to a V-shaped erosive activity.

3. HIGH WINDS

High winds can contribute to soil erosion, particularly in dry weather

periods or in the arid and semi-arid (ASAL) regions. The wind picks up the
loose soil particles with its natural force and carries them away to far lands,
leaving the soil sculptured and denudated. It is severe during the times of
drought in the ASAL regions. Hence, wind erosion is a major source of soil
degradation and desertification.

4. OVERGRAZING, OVERSTOCKING AND TILLAGE PRACTICES

Overstocking and overgrazing has led to reduced ground cover and

break down of the soil particles, giving room for erosion and accelerating the
erosive effects by wind and rain.

Agricultural tillage depending on the machinery used also breaks

down the soil particles, making the soils vulnerable to erosion by water. Up
and down field tillage practices as well create pathways for surface water
runoff and can speed up the soil erosion process.
 5. Deforestation, Reduced Vegetation Cover, and Urbanization

Deforestation and urbanization destroy the vegetation land cover.

Agricultural practices such as burning and clearing of vegetation also reduce
the overall vegetation cover.

Trees and vegetation cover help to hold the soil particles together
thereby reduces the erosive effects of erosion caused by rainfall and flooding.

6. Mass Movements and Soil Structure/Composition

The outward and downward movements of sediments and rocks on

slanting or slope surfaces due to gravitational pull qualify as an important
aspect of the erosion process. This is because mass movements aids in the
breakdown of the soil particles that makes them venerable to water and wind
erosion.

EFFECTS OF SOIL EROSION

1. LOSS OF ARABLE LAND
Soil erosion eats away the top soil which is the fertile layer of the land
and also the component that supports the soil’s essential microorganisms and
organic matter. In this view, soil erosion has severely threatened the
productivity of fertile cropping areas as they are continually degraded.

2. WATER POLLUTION AND CLOGGING OF WATER WAYS

Soils eroded from agricultural lands carry pesticides, heavy metals,
and fertilizers which are washed into streams and major water ways. This
leads to water pollution and damage to marine and freshwater habitats.
Accumulated sediments can also cause clogging of water ways and raises the
water level leading to flooding.

3. SEDIMENTATION AND THREAT TO AQUATIC SYSTEM

High soil sedimentation can be catastrophic to the survival of aquatic
life forms. Silt can smother the breeding grounds of fish and equally lessens
their food supply since the siltation reduces the biodiversity of algal life and
beneficial aquatic plants.
 4. AIR POLLUTION
Wind erosion picks up dust particles of the soil and throws them into
the air, causing air pollution. Some of the dust particles may contain harmful
and toxic particles such as petroleum and pesticides that can pose a severe
health hazard when inhaled or ingested.

5. DESTRUCTION OF INFRASTRACTURE
Soil erosion can affect infrastructural projects such as dams, drainages,
and embankments. The accumulation of soil sediments in dams/drainages and
along embankments can reduce their operational lifetime and efficiency.
6. DESERTIFICATION
Soil erosion is a major driver of desertification. It gradually transforms a
habitable land and the ASAL regions into deserts. The transformations are
worsened by the destructive use of the land and deforestation that leaves the
soil naked and open to erosion.

SOIL EROSION IN THE PHILIPPINES

The problem is aggravated by heavy rainfall, improper land use and

management, excessive and improper logging, shifting cultivation and road
construction (PCARRD, 1992).

13 PROVINCES
 Batangas;
 Cebu;
 Ilocos Sur;
 La Unión;
 Batanes;
 Bohol;
 Masbate;
 Abra;
 Ilo-ilo;
 Cavite;
 Rizal;
 Capiz; and
 Marinduque

(PCARRD, 1984)
SOIL EROSION CONTROL
• Preventive method

-used in slightly eroded areas.

• Rehabilitative Method

-is used in badly erode areas. Its main objective is to restore eroded areas to
their original condition.

 Vegetative method
• Cover cropping

• Strip-cutting

• Contour tillage

• Terracing

 Mechanical method
• Riprapping
• Farm ponds
E. THE LINK BETWEEN HUMAN POPULATION AND SOIL EROSION
IMPACT OF HUMAN POPULATION ON THE ENVIRONMENT
• When there is an increase in population there is also an increase in waste
materials thrown on the environment and there is a greater degradation and
deterioration of nature

• Fulfilling the resource requirements of a growing population ultimately

requires some form aft land use change- to provide for the expansion of food
production through forest clearing, to intensify production already cultivated
land resulting to deforestation thereby;

a. increasing the frequency and severity of floods and soil erosion;

b. degradation of soil by using fertilizers if land be converted to agricultural

use;

c. habitat fragmentation leading to species decline.

• Requirement to develop infrastructure necessary to support increasing human

numbers

• The lifestyle, consumption patterns and regions people inhabit and use
directly affect human environment

LAND OR SOIL POLLUTION FACTS

 Every year one American produces over 3,285 pounds of hazardous waste.
Land pollution cause us to lose 24 billion tones of topsoil every year
(Tonnes_2,205 pounds).

 On average, Americans throw out 200,000 tons of edible food each day. We
throw away enough trash to fill 63,000 garbage trucks.

 Everyday Americans throw away 1 million bushels of liter out their car
window (Bushels-64 pints). Over 80% of items in the landfills can be recycled,
but they’re not.
  Estimated that the land degradation (about 2 billion hectares of the land
worldwide) affects 38% of the worlds cropland and has the reduce water and
nutrients availability (quality and access).

Human-caused of soil erosion

 Disappearing forest

-forest resources helped fuel the economy

- 119,000 hectares of forest disappear yearly.

 Rural poor

-forced the people to invade the forest

- 30,000,000 poor live in rural areas

 Eroding soil

-employs almost one-third of the country’s labor force and agriculture is one of
the most important sectors of the Philippine economy

 Rapid urbanizations

-metro manila: home to some 10 million people in 1992, it now houses

16 million

 Eroding soil

-employs almost one-third of the country’s labor force and agriculture is one of
the most important sectors of the Philippine economy

 Coastal pressures

- Massive degradation of the coral reefs.

Soil as Critical Natural Resources

• Earth soil remain one of our most important and vulnerable resources.

• Fertility associated with soil, has a meaning that it takes into consideration the
usefulness of a soil to the human.
• It is clearly that the responsibility of all of us who enjoy the agricultural
products of farms, ranches and orchards, and

• Appreciate the natural beauty of earth’s diverse biomes-to help protect our
valuable soils.

• Conserving soil and maintaining soil fertility are the critical challenges that
are essential to maintaining natural environments and supporting life on earth
today and for the future.

• “There’s sufficient for man’s needs, but not for a mans greed.”

• Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi

E. SOIL CONSERVATION STRATEGIES
Soil conservation is the prevention of soil loss from erosion or reduced fertility caused
by over usage, acidification, salinization or other chemical soil contamination. Slash-
and-burn and other unsustainable methods of subsistence farming are practiced in
some lesser developed areas. A sequel to the deforestation is typically large scale
erosion, loss of soil nutrients and sometimes total desertification.”

METHODS OF CONSERVATION OF SOIL

1. Contour Plowing – Originating in ancient Phoenicia, Contour Plowing
involves plowing grooves into the desired farmland, then planting the crop
furrows in the grooves and following the contours. It a very effective way for
farmland on slopes to prevent runs off improves crop yields.

2. Terrace Farming – Terracing is a method of carving multiple, flat levelled

areas into hills. Steps are formed by the terraces which are surrounded by a
mud wall to prevent run off and hold the soil nutrients in the beds. More
commonly found in lesser developed nations due to the difficulty of using
mechanized farming equipment in the terraces. Very popular in Asia for
planting rice.

3. Windbreaks – Rows of tall trees are used in dense patterns around the
farmland and prevents wind erosion. Evergreen trees can provide year round
protection but deciduous trees can be adequate as long as foliage is apparent
during the seasons when the soil is bare.

4. Agrostological Measures – Planting grass in heavily eroded areas is called

an agrostological measure. Ley farming practices cultivating grass in rotation
with regular crops to increase the nutrient level in the soils. When the grass is
harvested it can be used as fodder for cattle. For heavily eroded soil it is
recommended to grown grass for many years to let the soils naturally repair
themselves.
5. Green Manures – Green manures are a few different crops that can be
grown, not for produce or food usage, but grown in order to fertilize the farm
land on which it grows. This method can improve the soil structure and
suppresses the growth of weeds.

6. Stream Bank Protection – During floods, stream banks can often cave in.
Preventing this by constructing walls along the banks or plant useful tree
species will prevent this in the future and prevent soil loss down the stream.

7. Earthworms – Earthworms provide great benefits of farm land due to the way
they burrow under the ground and provide more are for water to rest after it
has infiltrated the soil. When these worms excrete egesta, this sits in the soils
and gives the crops many nutrients which are absorbed via the roots of the
plants. Earthworm casts contain a vast amount more nutrients than any natural
soil in the world, and for that reason should be invited into the soils of
farmland to help prevent erosion and will lead to larger crop yields.

8. Mineralization – To help crops reach higher yields or full potential,

sometimes crushed rock or chemical supplements are added to the farmland,
this helps combat mineral depletion. Normally used after flooding, it brings
substantial amounts of sediment which can damage the nutrient level of the
soil.

9. Dry Farming – In areas with a very low amount of rainfall, crops which
require very little water should be grown, this will lead to the preservation of
the natural levels of moisture and nutrients in the soil.
10. Rain Gardens – A rain garden is a shallow depression in the land which
holds and collects running water from impervious surfaces and prevents
erosion while saving the nutrients that inevitably get washed away. This also
gives you a good bed to grow wetland plants.

11. Re-establish Forest Cover – A dense amount of trees in a forest leads to a

vast network of deep roots that offer a long term solution to soil erosion,
another benefit is the windbreak that these trees can provide.

12. Indigenous Crops – The growth of indigenous crops is a good way to

conserve soil, as the plants have a natural need for the nutrients in the soil in
your area, they help to prevent soil erosion. If you grow non indigenous crops
a recommended tip is to plant indigenous crops around them, in order to
prevent soil erosion.
References
-- www.sciencemadesimple.co.uk/curriculum-blogs/biology..

-- PermaMatrix®

How soils form _ Environment, land and water _ Queensland Government.html

http://www.tutorvista.com/content/biology/biology-ii/environment-and-environmental-
problems/soil-erosion.php#top

http://www.eschooltoday.com/soils/factors-that-affect-soil-formation.html

http://sciencewithkids.com/science-facts/facts-about-soil-erosion.html

http://www.eartheclipse.com/environment/causes-and-effects-of-soil-erosion.html

http://sciencewithkids.com/science-facts/facts-about-soil-erosion.html

http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/AB604E/AB604E03.htm

Earth Science by Maria Chona Sulit-Braganza

www.fao.org.com.ph

https://www.researchgate.net

www.prb.org

http://saferenvironment.wordpress.com

www.conserve-energy-future.com