The Battle for the Clouds: Can We Save the Philippine Uplands?

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

High above the bustling, flat palayans of the lowlands lies the true heart of the Philippines—a misty, vertical world of emerald peaks and ancient forests. While many imagine the country as a series of plains, 65% of our land is actually mountainous, serving as the final fortress for iconic species like the Philippine Eagle and the Tamaraw.

But a silent war is being waged in the clouds. As the world’s appetite grows, its forests retreat, replaced by plumes of grey smoke that signal the advance of the plow.

The Scars of Kaingin

For generations, the traditional system of kaingin—slash-and-burn farming—has pockmarked our mountains. Forests are cut and torched to make way for rice, corn, or cassava. Once protected by their sheer inaccessibility, these peaks are now being encroached upon by unregulated agriculture.

The cost of this encroachment is staggering. According to Mariglo Rosaida Laririt of the DENR-BMB, losing these forests means losing nature’s most critical services:

Water Security: Mountains provide the clean water we drink and the irrigation that feeds the plains.

Climate Defense: These forests regulate temperature and act as a natural sponge for flood control.

Biodiversity Loss: Monocropping—planting only one crop like pineapple or coffee—strips the soil of nutrients and destroys the habitats of essential pollinators like bees and butterflies.

The Hidden Danger of Subsidies

In a shocking global revelation, United Nations agencies found that 87% of the USD 540 billion spent on agricultural subsidies are actually harmful to nature and health. In the Philippines, where subsidies averaged PHP 3.36 billion yearly between 2010 and 2015, the money often goes toward chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

While these "external inputs" aim to keep production viable, they create a "chemical romance" with deadly consequences. Fertilizer runoff turns crystal rivers brown, and pesticides indiscriminately kill the very insects needed to grow our food.

A Vision for Sustainable Summits

The tide, however, is beginning to turn. The DENR and Department of Agriculture, in partnership with UNDP-BIOFIN, are pioneering a movement to mainstream Biodiversity-friendly Agricultural Practices (BDFAPs). The goal is a radical reallocation of government funds.

Imagine a future where subsidies don't buy chemicals, but instead support:

Heirloom Grains: Native varieties like the earthy Ulikan or the black Ominio rice are uniquely marketable and found nowhere else on Earth.

Intercropping & Rotation: Moving away from monocultures to diversified ecosystems that restore soil fertility and cushion farmers against price crashes.

Next-Gen Farming: Making agriculture lucrative enough to lure the youth back from call centers to become the new guardians of the land.

The Path Forward

We have 117 million mouths to feed, but we cannot eat the mountains once they are gone. By transforming upland farms into sustainable, agroforestry-based systems, we can generate food without sacrificing the ecological integrity of our islands.

As the mist clears over the Cordilleras, the choice is clear: we can continue to slash and burn, or we can learn to grow in harmony with the heights.

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