A REVIEW OF UPLAND AGRICULTURE, POPULATION PRESSURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION IN THE PHILIPPINES

Abstract

Upland agriculture in the Philippines, which started in the Neolithic Age, has evolved from an environmentally-sound traditional shifting cultivation into a destructive form of agriculture. Population which increased from about 7 million at the turn of the century to 70 million at present, is considered as a major factor behind this change in form and extent of upland agriculture resulting in the degradation of the country's bio-physical environment. It is believed that the key to solving this ecological problem rests heavily on reduced population pressure, sound environmental management strategies, alternative livelihood for upland farmers and appropriate technologies that would suit the conditions in the uplands.