Soil erosion in the Philippines is a growing environmental threat that has quietly damaged forests, farmlands, and communities for decades. While armed conflict has shaped much of Mindanao’s history, the gradual loss of fertile soil remains another long-running crisis—one that continues to undermine livelihoods and the country’s natural resources.

Armed conflict is not new to Mindanao. For decades, clashes between government forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front have shaped the region’s narrative. Yet another war—older, quieter, and far more pervasive—continues largely unnoticed. This war is soil erosion.

Harold R. Watson, the 1985 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for peace and international understanding, once described soil erosion as an enemy “far worse than any outside invader” because it creeps silently, stripping the land of life.

Watson understood this threat deeply. When he arrived in the Philippines in the 1960s and later led the Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center (MBRLC) in Davao del Sur, he warned of the dangers of deforestation and eroding uplands. Few listened. Many believed the country’s forests were inexhaustible.

History proved otherwise. The Philippines, once blanketed by rainforest, lost a third of its forest cover between 1990 and 2005. Despite a slowdown in recent years, deforestation continues, leaving upland communities vulnerable to hunger, poverty, and environmental collapse.

When Watson opened MBRLC in 1971, farming in the uplands appeared productive—until he looked closer. The problem was not what farmers could see, but what they could not: the slow disappearance of topsoil. Logging, both legal and illegal, had stripped mountains bare. Kaingin practices further exposed the soil, allowing rain to wash away the thin layer essential for crops.

Many upland farmers, focused on daily survival, could not anticipate the long-term consequences. “What can I get out of the land today?” became the prevailing mindset.

But soil does not regenerate quickly. It takes centuries—up to a thousand years—to form just 2.5 centimeters of fertile topsoil. Yet Philippine farmlands lose that same amount every 16 years.

Erosion is a natural geological process that shapes landscapes over millennia. But human activities accelerate dramatically. Once soil is loosened—by raindrop impact, freezing and thawing, or the collapse of riverbanks—it can be carried away by water, wind, ice, or gravity.

In forested areas, flowing water is the primary force; on farms, wind can be equally destructive, as seen during the Dust Bowl in the United States.

Globally, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that five to seven million hectares of farmland are lost to erosion annually—an area as large as Belgium and the Netherlands combined.

In the Philippines, soil erosion has become one of the most serious environmental threats, according to experts at the University of the Philippines Los Baños.

The consequences are staggering. Losing just a few centimeters of topsoil can slash crop yields by up to 60 percent. As soil thins, farmers compensate with fertilizers, increasing production costs. Eventually, land becomes too degraded or too expensive to farm, forcing families to abandon their fields.

Sedimentation from eroded soil also clogs rivers and reservoirs. Major basins in Luzon—including Bicol, Magat, Pampanga, and Agno—are already in critical condition. The Ambuklao Dam’s lifespan was cut nearly in half due to siltation.

More than 99 percent of the world’s food supply depends on soil. Yet each year, over 10 million hectares of cropland are degraded or lost. UN data shows that an area large enough to feed Europe is now too damaged to grow food.

The immediate impacts of erosion are economic—lower yields, higher costs, abandoned farms. But the long-term consequences are social. Poor soil leads to poor harvests, and poor harvests lead to undernourished communities. As environmental degradation worsens, so does human suffering.

Soil erosion may be invisible, but its effects are unmistakable. It threatens food production, undermines rural livelihoods, and accelerates environmental decline.

Unlike armed conflict, this war cannot be resolved with peace agreements or ceasefires. It demands awareness, sustainable land management, and a national commitment to protecting the very ground that feeds us.

The battle for the soil is a battle for life itself. And it is one the Philippines can no longer afford to ignore.

Biogas energy from manure offers farms a practical way to turn animal waste into a useful source of renewable power. By processing manure from livestock and poultry in an oxygen-free environment, farms can produce gas for electricity, cooking and other energy needs while reducing waste, unpleasant odors and environmental concerns.

Raising chickens and livestock presents numerous challenges. One must contend with daily labor, significant expenses for feed and care, potential health risks, noise, and stringent local regulations. However, the most unpleasant aspect is the overpowering odor of manure. When neighbors are nearby, the smell of manure can become particularly offensive.

Manure also attracts flies, as it emits potent chemical odors that indicate food sources and safe nesting areas. Flies utilize specialized sensors on their bodies to detect these scents, and they require moist, decaying waste for nourishment and egg-laying.

Fortunately, the Rockefeller Farm has discovered a solution: converting waste into energy. Located in Barangay Labrador, Polanco, in Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte, the farm covers seven hectares and focuses on poultry and livestock/swine farming.

Rather than viewing manure as a burden, the farm has transformed it into a valuable resource by utilizing its accumulated waste to generate power through its biogas digester facility.

Biogas is a sustainable fuel produced when bacteria decompose plant and animal waste in an anaerobic environment. This mixture primarily consists of two greenhouse gases, methane and carbon dioxide.

Animal manure from swine and chickens is placed in a sealed container where air is excluded, allowing specific microorganisms to consume the waste. These microorganisms decompose the material and produce a flammable gas mixture.

Biogas serves as a clean energy source derived from organic waste. It is utilized for cooking, heating water, generating electricity, and fueling vehicles. The residual material from the tank can be repurposed as organic fertilizer for agricultural use.

At Rockefeller Farm, the waste generated by over 100,000 chickens and pigs is collected in a pit that is dug three stories deep, according to Lester Uy Ong, the owner of the farm.

When inquired about the reasons for establishing a biogas digester facility, Heidi Ong, Lester’s wife, mentioned two primary motivations: to mitigate the unpleasant odor and the presence of flies, and to secure a reliable power source.

“Our neighbors complain about the flies and the smell, and we know that in the future, electricity prices will continue to rise,” she explained.

Currently, Rockefeller Farm operates a biogas generator with a capacity of 300 kilovolt-amperes (KVA), which can supply power to the entire farm for 15 hours, equivalent to illuminating a whole rural barangay.

Lester detailed that prior to the biogas facility’s establishment, the farm incurred monthly electricity expenses of approximately 900,000 pesos to power two buildings dedicated to housing chickens and pigs, sorting facilities, and other maintenance requirements.

“With the installation of a biogas generator, the costs will either be eliminated or reduced to approximately 40,000 to 50,000 pesos,” Lester said.

This enhancement has significantly boosted the output of Rockefeller Farm, which provides poultry products and meat to local restaurants in Dipolog City, collaborates with distributors for major consumer brands, and extends its reach to markets in neighboring provinces within the Zamboanga Peninsula, as well as Dumaguete City and Cebu.

“Currently, our production levels are not exceedingly high. Therefore, we are planning to expand in the future,” the Uys pointed out.

In addition to their primary products, the biogas digester facility generates high-quality fertilizers, which are either utilized on their own Rockefeller farm or distributed to their employees for their agricultural needs.

Furthermore, the farm implements circular and sustainable practices, such as treating wastewater for reuse in agricultural maintenance, particularly in the management of animal waste—complying with the standards set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

In addition to their commitment to making Rockefeller Farm sustainable, Lester expresses his readiness to assist other communities in utilizing biogas, focusing on the significant potential of establishing biogas digester facilities and electric generators at landfills.

“What I want is to share this (biogas digester facility) and modernize our landfills. Because landfills can produce a greater amount of biogas,” Uy stated.

To quantify this, he mentioned that a single landfill could generate enough electric power to illuminate five to ten barangays. “If this is implemented, it will greatly benefit the communities (surrounding landfills),” he stressed.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) supported the enhancement of Rockefeller Farm through one of its key initiatives, the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP), which provided five million pesos in funding for the acquisition of the biogas digester facility.

SETUP is one of the DOST’s programs designed to offer micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) zero-interest, refund-based funding for equipment purchases, technical training, consultancy, and packaging improvements to enhance their productivity and competitiveness in the market.