Engr. Alona Jualo and Dr. Ireneo Amplayo

Upland Erosion And
Farmers’ Perception Of
Land Conservation IN
SIMULAO WATERSHED

Rationale
•Accelerated soil
erosion by water or
wind may affect both
agricultural areas and
the natural
environment, and is
one of the most
widespread of today's
environmental
problems. It has
impacts which are both
on-site and off-site.

Rationale…
Soil erosion creates severe limitations to
sustainable agricultural land use, as it reduces
on-farm soil productivity and causes food
insecurity.
Assessment of soil erosion plays a great role for
soil and water conservation planning.
Effective control of soil erosion is a critical
component of natural resource management
when the aim is to achieve sustainable
agriculture and acceptable ecosystem integrity.

Rationale…
Farmers' perception of land degradation by
erosion is a key social factor that is also
important in deciding options for controlling
soil losses.
Understanding farmers' knowledge and their
perception and factors that influence their land
management practices are of paramount
importance for promoting sustainable land
management.

Rationale…
On the other hand, field surveys of rills have
an integral role to play in the sustainable
management of agricultural lands in
particular.
Without involving expensive
instrumentation and sophisticated modelling
of soil loss, this strategy may yield more
economical (and efficient) solutions in local
areas than the application of the existing
generation of erosion models.

Rationale…
In the absence of any applicable method for
estimating soil erosion rates in tropical Asia,
David (1988), modified the universal soil loss
equation (USLE) to suit locally available
information and prevailing environmental
conditions.
The study was carried out in Simulao
watershed. The susceptibility to erosion of the
areas within the basin has never been
described. Thus, this study was conducted.

Objectives of the Study
1. determine the severity and rate of soil
erosion;
2. assess the perception of the farmers and
their awareness on erosion processes and
control measures as a land management
practice;
3. examine the acceptance and adoption of
land conservation technologies; and,
4. identify factors affecting the land
conservation decisions of farmers.

Conceptual Framework

Materials and Methodology
Location of the Study

Erosion Measurement and Prediction
• Ten (10) representative fields were selected
from the Simulao watershed for the
determination of erosion.
• The erosion from the watershed was
predicted using the Modified Universal Soil
Loss Equation (David, 1988).
• Rill survey methodology (Herweg, 2006)
was used to quantify the amount of soil loss
due to rill erosion in the watershed.

•In order to capture the perception of soil
erosion process and factors affecting
farmers’ land conservation decision-making
processes and related reasons, formal and
informal interviews were conducted.
•The respondents of the study were the
farmers within Simulao watershed,
computed using Sloven’s formula and were
selected through random sampling.

•The data generated from the structured
questionnaires, like frequencies and
descriptive procedures of the statistics, were
analyzed.
•Relevant qualitative information from the
informal discussions with farmers and other
concerned bodies were integrated with the
quantitative data for better understanding
of the issues covered in the study.

Significant Findings
1. Using MUSLE, the annual soil loss was
estimated at 0.14 t/ha (0 to 3% slope
fields) and 13.96 t/ha (3% to 8% slope
fields).
2. Using rill method, soil loss was 10.75 t/ha.
•This is 91% greater than soil formation.
assuming the average soil formation
worldwide is 0.1 mm/yr

Significant Findings
3. Majority (81.33%) of the interviewed
farmers perceived soil erosion as a
problem constraining crop production .
4. A considerable fraction (73.77%) of the
farmers reported that the occurrence of
rill erosion was the dominant erosion
feature on their farmlands.
5. 73.33% of the respondents had a plan
to implement SWC measures.

Significant Findings
6. To assess their attitudes towards support
need from the government, they were
asked whether they should be paid in
constructing and maintaining SWC in
their farm. Though the majority (76%)
believed SWC is farmer’s responsibility,
66.67% responded “yes” while only
33.33% answered, “no”.

Significant Findings
7. In the watershed, soil and water
conservation measures are rare. Though
farmers showed willingness to adopt SWC
structures, they were reluctant to
practice these measures, 44 farmers
claimed they were not aware of SWC
and 32 reported conservation measures
were time-consuming and labor
demanding.

Conclusion
1. Erosion does not occur uniformly across
the field
• Variation with:
rainfall energy
gradient and length of slopes
inherent soil characteristics
land use and management practices

Conclusion
2. Soil cover can decrease erosion
Effectiveness increases with good soil
management practice.
3. The condition of Simulao watershed is
severe. The erosion rate is higher than
the tolerable limit.

Conclusion
4. Farmers:
have good perception of erosion
are aware that erosion process affects
land productivity
5. Land conservation measures:
• farmers’ responsibility
• not implemented due to labor extensive
reasons and lack of knowledge.

Conclusion
6. MUSLE equation can come up with a good
approximation for soil loss due to rill and
sheet erosion.
7. Rill survey method can be concluded as a
central way to quantify soil loss at field
level.

Recommendations
1. Proper selection of crop cover based on
soil type, effective cover management,
conservation and tillage practices to
minimize erosion.
2. Provide technical knowledge through
seminars and trainings to the
community for their awareness of the
status of Simulao Watershed.

Recommendations
3. Develop sustainable soil management
systems to reduce further degradation
and restore the productivity of the
eroded land.
4. Educate and train farmers about the
newly introduced land conservation
technologies.

Recommendations
5. Motivate farmers to adapt the land
conservation technologies based on
their indigenous knowledge.
6. Apply soil conservation methods
including terraces and bunds as well as
semi-permeable structures and
agronomic measures.

Recommendations
7. Formulate policies to sustain
agricultural productivity.
8. Conduct of the same research
endeavors to validate and generate a
more conclusive result.

Questions, comments and suggestions are welcome…
ALONA L. JUALO
Institute of Engineering and Information Sciences
Agusan del Sur State College of Agriculture and Technology
Bunawan, Agusan del Sur
Mobile No.: 09102359537
Email Add: alona_bsae@yahoo.com