Management of soil erosion consortium (MSEC): An innovative approach to sustainable land management

Scaling up soil erosion research from plot level to catchment scale answers the need for a more holistic approach to natural resources planning and management. Tools and methodologies have been developed for the plot level research and to some extent, for catchment research. The need to develop a framework that involves managing soil erosion at a catchment scale led the International Board for Soil Research and Management (IBSRAM) to help establish the Soil, Water, and Nutrient Management (SWNM) initiative of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). This effort was boosted with the Integration of IBSRAM and the IWMI (International Water Management Institute). This integration resulted in a more comprehensive and holistic management and coordination of the MSEC R and D activities in the region. The MSEC methodology is anchored on the innovative research paradigm based on a participatory and interdisciplinary catchment scale approach, which considers the biophysical, socioeconomic, policy, and political environments. In late 1998, the first phase of the long-term R&D program on soil erosion management was implemented in six Asian countries, including Philippines, with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). In the Philippines, the project was coordinated by PCARRD [Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources and Development, Los Banos, Laguna (Philippines)] and Implemented by the Central Mindanao University (CMU) [Musuan, Bukidnon, Philippines], the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 10 [Northern Mindanao], the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) [College, Laguna, Philippines] and the LGU [local government units] of Lantapan, Bukidnon. The project was conducted in the 84.5-ha Mapawa catchment, located in Sitio Mapawa, Barangay Songco, Lantapan, Bukidnon. Results of the orientation seminar and participatory resource appraisal (PRA) conducted in 2000 with farmers, residents, and local officials revealed that among the 17 problems identified, soil erosion ranked ninth. Considered high priority problems were bad roads, lack of capital, lack of drying facilities, lack of good quality seeds, lack of potable water, and insufficient water for crop production. Land management practices greatly influenced the rate of soil erosion, and the best predictor appeared to be the proportion of the area cultivated to annual crops. Soil erosion and sediment yield tend to decrease with the increase in the size of the catchments but this trend is often altered by the influenced of different land uses in the area. For the period January-October 2002, the highest soil loss of 19,913.9 kg was obtained from microcatchment 1 (MC-1), the smallest sub catchment of only 0.94 ha, of which 0.4 ha is intensively cultivated throughout the year. Crops planted in the catchment during the period were sweet peas, beans, and tomato. On the other hand, lowest soil loss was nil in MC-4, on the area of 24.93 ha, of which 2.68 ha were cultivated and a large area covered with grasses. The same trend was observed during the periods January-December 2000 and January-December 2001. The replacement cost method or the cost of replacing the nutrients lost with the eroded soil measure the economic loss. On-site soil erosion cost reached P1,901 for January-December 2000, P28,878.57 for January-December 2001, and P2,425.00 for January-October 2002. Soil erosion from the Mapawa catchment contributes to the total sedimentation in the Manupali River Irrigation System (MRIS). From 1995 to 2001, total cost of dredging the silted irrigation canals in the MRIS was P2,260,312.30. There are no enough data yet to determine how much of the total sedimentation comes from the Mapawa catchment. Management interventions such as natural vegetative strips, bamboo for streambank stabilization and livestock livelihood integrated with soil conservation, were identified during a series of stakeholders' meetings with farmers, barangay [village] officials and researchers. Trainings and cross-site visits concerning the identified interventions were conducted for the farmers. Benchmark information showed that tenure status of farmers affected the adoption of soil conservation measures. About half of the landowner-tillers have adopted some conservation measures, but none from the tenants