Long before modern science warned of food insecurity, the ancient world had already witnessed the devastating power of famine. The Holy Bible recounts one such episode in Genesis 41:55‑57: “So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, ‘Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, you shall do.’ … The people of all the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the earth.”
That famine was so widespread that nations traveled to Egypt in search of grain. Today, the threat of famine is once again looming—not because of divine prophecy, but because of human actions that degrade the very ecosystems that sustain life.
Lester R. Brown, one of the world’s most respected environmental thinkers, warned in World Watch: “We could be heading for unimaginable trouble if we continue to strip the planet of its forest cover, to erode its cropland, overgraze its rangelands, over pump its aquifers, deplete its oceans, pollute its air, pump excessive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and destroy the habitats of our fellow creatures.”
The list is long, but the consequences are simple: food scarcity. As Brown emphasized, “Globally, it is food scarcity that may soon become the principal manifestation of continuing population growth and environmental mismanagement.”
Food insecurity has historically triggered conflict. Nations have gone to war for land, water, and food. But in the foothills of Mt. Apo, a different kind of war is being waged—quietly, persistently, and with profound implications for the future.
The Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center (MBRLC) Foundation, Inc., based in Kinuskusan, Bansalan, Davao del Sur, is fighting an enemy that cannot shoot back but can destroy lives just the same: soil erosion.
The foundation of life
Without soil, there is no food. Without food, there is no life. Soil erosion, therefore, is not merely an agricultural problem—it is a threat to human survival.
In their landmark report Soil Erosion: Quiet Crisis in the World Economy, Brown and Edward C. Wolf explained: “The loss of topsoil affects the ability to grow food in two ways. It reduces the inherent productivity of land, both through the loss of nutrients and degradation of the physical structure.”
But the damage does not stop there. “Erosion also increases the costs of food production,” they added. Farmers who lose topsoil must compensate by using more fertilizer, more labor, and more input. Eventually, the land becomes too costly to maintain or too barren to cultivate. “If productivity drops too low or agricultural costs rise too high, farmers are forced to abandon their land.”
This is not an abstract scenario. It is happening now.
The slow birth of soil, the quickness of its death
Soil formation is one of nature’s slowest miracles. In the humid tropics, a thin layer of soil may form in 200 years—but that is under ideal conditions. More commonly, soil forms at a rate of one centimeter every 100 to 400 years. To build enough soil for productive farmland, nature may need 3,000 to 12,000 years.
Yet all that can be washed away in 20 minutes of heavy rain if the land is left unprotected. Soil scientists estimate that 58% of the country’s total land area—about 17 million hectares—is susceptible to erosion.
The late Angel C. Alcala, former secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, once lamented: “The magnitude of soil erosion in cultivated sloping areas has reached an alarming proportion.”
Harold R. Watson, former director of MBRLC and a Ramon Magsaysay Award laureate, put it more bluntly: “Soil is made by God and put here for man to use, not for one generation but forever. It takes thousands of years to build one inch of topsoil but only one good heavy rain to remove one inch from unprotected soil on the slopes of mountains.”
This realization pushed Watson and his Filipino colleagues to develop a farming system that could protect the soil while feeding families. The result was Sloping Agricultural Land Technology, or SALT.
SALT: A system that saves soil and feed people
“SALT is a packaged technology of soil conservation and food production that integrates several conservation measures in just one setting,” explains Jethro P. Adang, the current director of MBRLC.
At its core, SALT is simple: farmers plant crops in 3‑5‑meter strips between double-contoured rows of nitrogen‑fixing shrubs and trees such as ipil‑ipil, kakawate, Flemingia macrophylla, and Desmodium rensonii. These hedgerows act as barriers that slow down water, trap soil, and enrich the land.
Permanent crops—cacao, coffee, banana, citrus, and fruit trees—are planted throughout the farm. Vegetables, cereals, and legumes fill the remaining spaces.
Crop rotation is a key component. Strips planted with corn or upland rice in one season are planted with peanuts or winged beans in the next. As Adang explains, “Crop rotation helps preserve the regenerative properties of the soil and avoid the problems of infertility typical of traditional agricultural practices.”
Multistory cropping is also encouraged. Black pepper, corn, and lanzones may grow together in one hedge. Waterlogged areas are planted with gabi, kangkong, and other water-loving crops. “We do all these to make use of all the available spaces of the farm,” Adang says.
The result is a farm that produces food year-round. “Some of the crops should be planted to feed the farmer’s family, while other crops are grown for sale, so family income is well spread out over the season,” Adang explains. “Every week or every month, there’s always something to harvest. The system can, in fact, raise the family income threefold.”
The numbers don’t lie
A study conducted at the MBRLC farm revealed the dramatic difference SALT makes. A traditionally tilled farm erodes at a rate of 1,163.4 metric tons per hectare per year. In contrast, a SALT farm erodes at only 20.1 metric tons per hectare per year.
The tolerable soil loss for tropical countries like the Philippines is 10 to 12 metric tons per hectare per year. SALT brings erosion down to 3.4 metric tons per hectare per year, well within safe limits.
This is why, in 1985, Watson received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for peace and international understanding. He was honored for promoting SALT and other sustainable farming systems that have helped farmers across Asia.
A system that works – but requires work
Today, SALT remains the backbone of MBRLC’s efforts to fight soil erosion. But Adang is quick to clarify: “SALT is not a miracle system or a panacea.”
Establishing a one‑hectare SALT farm requires discipline, patience, and hard work. “It took many years to deplete the soil of nutrients and lose the topsoil; no system can bring depleted, eroded soil back into production in a few short years,” he says.
Still, SALT offers hope. “The price of soil loss is poverty, but we have seen land restored to a reasonable level of productivity by using SALT.”
The war against soil erosion is not fought with guns or bombs. It is fought with contour lines, hedgerows, crop rotation, and the determination of farmers who refuse to surrender their land to degradation.
In a world threatened by climate change, population growth, and environmental decline, protecting the soil is no longer optional—it is essential. As the ancient famine in Egypt reminds us, food security can determine the fate of nations. And as modern science warns, the next famine may not be caused by drought alone but by the slow, silent loss of the soil beneath our feet.
SALT is not the only solution, but it is a proven one. It is a reminder that sustainable agriculture is not merely a technique—it is a commitment to future generations. (To be continued)
