GUEST
Griffith University Erosion System Template
ha
Hectare
HH
Household
IWAM
Integrated Water-harvesting, Anti-erosion, and Multiple cropping
LUCIA
Land Use Change Impact Assessment model
Mg
Megagram
m.a.s.l.
Meters above sea level
MT
Minimum tillage
N
Nitrogen
NO
3À
Nitrate
P
Phosphorus
PES
Payment for environmental services
SOM
Soil organic matter
USD
US dollars
VND
Vietnamese dong
WaNuLCAS Water, Nutrient and Light Capture in Agroforestry Systems model
7.1 General Introduction
Mainland Southeast Asia (encompassing Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand,
Vietnam and Peninsular Malaysia, covering a land area of approximately
4 million km
2 ), consists largely of mountains or hilly areas with elevations
ranging from 300 to 5,500 m.a.s.l. These upland areas are considered crucial in
regulating natural resources (soil, water and forests), headwaters and further
watershed functions in this region. The main problems faced by these upland
areas are related to land resource pressures caused by increased population
density, land degradation, and economic growth (see Chap. 1), all of which
have led to an increased demand for food and feed. To meet the food and feed
demand, as well as improve the livelihoods of the upland population, steep
sloping lands are increasingly being used for logging, shifting cultivation or
swidden activities, as well as intensive cropping systems using monoculture.
Inappropriate land uses have caused severe soil erosion, leading to a decline in
soil fertility and, as a result, a downward pressure on productivity, which
increased the pressure to use slopes for intensive cultivation (the linkages
between poverty and environmental degradation are covered in Chap. 5).
Given these challenges, there is a need to develop appropriate and acceptable
technologies aimed at soil and water conservation, in order to create more
sustainable highland agricultural systems. Although many of the currently
developed soil conservation concepts have proven to be technically feasible,
their adoption and use by farmers have remained limited.
This chapter briefly summarizes the causes and consequences of soil erosion
(which are covered in detail in Chaps. 2 and 3), before presenting effective
230
T. Hilger et al.
Griffith University Erosion System Template
ha
Hectare
HH
Household
IWAM
Integrated Water-harvesting, Anti-erosion, and Multiple cropping
LUCIA
Land Use Change Impact Assessment model
Mg
Megagram
m.a.s.l.
Meters above sea level
MT
Minimum tillage
N
Nitrogen
NO
3À
Nitrate
P
Phosphorus
PES
Payment for environmental services
SOM
Soil organic matter
USD
US dollars
VND
Vietnamese dong
WaNuLCAS Water, Nutrient and Light Capture in Agroforestry Systems model
7.1 General Introduction
Mainland Southeast Asia (encompassing Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand,
Vietnam and Peninsular Malaysia, covering a land area of approximately
4 million km
2 ), consists largely of mountains or hilly areas with elevations
ranging from 300 to 5,500 m.a.s.l. These upland areas are considered crucial in
regulating natural resources (soil, water and forests), headwaters and further
watershed functions in this region. The main problems faced by these upland
areas are related to land resource pressures caused by increased population
density, land degradation, and economic growth (see Chap. 1), all of which
have led to an increased demand for food and feed. To meet the food and feed
demand, as well as improve the livelihoods of the upland population, steep
sloping lands are increasingly being used for logging, shifting cultivation or
swidden activities, as well as intensive cropping systems using monoculture.
Inappropriate land uses have caused severe soil erosion, leading to a decline in
soil fertility and, as a result, a downward pressure on productivity, which
increased the pressure to use slopes for intensive cultivation (the linkages
between poverty and environmental degradation are covered in Chap. 5).
Given these challenges, there is a need to develop appropriate and acceptable
technologies aimed at soil and water conservation, in order to create more
sustainable highland agricultural systems. Although many of the currently
developed soil conservation concepts have proven to be technically feasible,
their adoption and use by farmers have remained limited.
This chapter briefly summarizes the causes and consequences of soil erosion
(which are covered in detail in Chaps. 2 and 3), before presenting effective
230
T. Hilger et al.