The Effects of the Kaingin System on the Quality of Soil and Growth of Plants

A Research Paper Submitted to

Dr. Vicente H. Araneta

In Partial Fulfillment of the Course Requirements

Of Plant Physiology

Submitted by:

Shaina Marie Lim

Cebu Doctors’ University

October 13, 2018

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Introduction ………………………………………………………………..

a. Statement of the Problem…………………………………………..

b. Significance of the Study………………………………………….

c. Scope and Limitation……………………………………………….

d. Definition of Terms…………………………………………………

II. Background of the Study…………………………………………………

III. Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation of Data……………………………

IV. Summary, Recommendation and Conclusion.………………………………..

 Chapter 1

Introduction

The Kaingin System, also known as “Slash-and-burn agriculture” or “swidden farming”

in other Asian and Western countries, is the farming method that involves the cutting down and

burning of plants in a woodland or grassland to create a fertile field called a swidden. Introduced

as a farming method in the Neolithic Revolution, the Kaingin System was developed due to the

farmers’ need to create fertile farmland to increase the source of food in the presence of a

constantly increasing human population.

Despite being an old practice developed by the early inhabitants of Egypt and

Mesopotamia, little has been changed in terms of the process and technology needed to perform

this farming method. The famers using this method first have to clear the field of any plants or

trees months before a dry season, then allow these to dry and later, burn them in the following

dry season. The ash resulting from this fertilizes the soil and the burned field is then planted on

for in preparation for the next harvest. Most of the work can typically done by hand, using basic

tools like machetes, axes and shovels, or by more advanced tools like chainsaws and heavy

machinery. In today’s setting, the Kaingin System is still being practiced by 200-500 million

people worldwide, and is sometimes even used to clear fields for infrastructures and real estate

developments. It is because of the frequency of its use that it is now considered a method that is

both not sustainable for large populations and a major cause of environmental degradation.

Although it does offer a temporary solution for overpopulated tropical countries, the

consequences of slash-and-burn techniques on ecosystems are almost always destructive,

especially to the quality of soil and the growth of plants in the affected areas. The Kaingin

System is a major player in the degradation of soil, and it ultimately affects two important

aspects of the soil, its fertility and its stability. As a result of this degradation, it also affects the

growth of vegetation in these areas.

The researcher decided to have this as her topic due to the fact that as a Biology student,

she should be able to understand why even if the Kaingin System is thought to be detrimental to

the ecosystem, it is still widely used around the world, the Philippines included. Another reason

is that despite having known about the existence of the Kainging System, especially here in the

Philippines, the researcher knows little of its effects on the environment and how it affects the

ecosystem as a whole.

A. Statement of the Problem

As a result, the researcher has conducted a study that aims to present salient information

on the effects of the Kaingin System on the stability and fertility of soil.

Specifically, this purports to answer the following questions:

1. How does the practice of the Kaingin System affect the quality of the soil,

particularly its fertility?

2. How is the growth of plants affected by the practice of the Kaingin System?

3. What environmental disasters can be directly and indirectly caused by the practice

of the Kaingin System?

 B. Significance of the Study

This study will be beneficial to the following:

Farmers. This proposed study will help the farmers understand further the practice of the

Kaingin System, and both its short-term and long-term effects on the environment, particularly to

the soil and the growth of vegetation. They will also be able to evaluate for themselves the

advantages and disadvantages of practice of the Kaingin System.

Government Officials and Legislators. This proposed study will help government

officials and legislators understand what happens to the environment when the practice of the

Kaingin System is left unmonitored. It will also make them aware of the dangers present if the

use of the practice is too widespread and uncontrolled. This study will also give them insight on

why stricter laws need to be present to prevent the practice of the Kaingin System.

Future Researchers. This proposed study will benefit and help researchers as they may

use this data as a way to gain more knowledge on the advserse effects of the practice of the

Kaingin System and can act as a basis for their own research.

C. Scope and Limitation

This study will present information on the Kaingin System, including its history, its

intended purpose and the way at which it is used in today’s setting. This will also cover the

short-term and long-term effects of the Kaingin System to the environment, including its effect

on the soil’s quality, particularly its fertility and stability. This study will also cover the effect of

the Kaingin System on the growth of plants in the affected areas, and the possible environmental

disasters that are directly and indirectly caused by this practice.

 This study will not include the Kaingin System’s contribution to air pollution and climate

change.This study will also not include the individual experiences of farmers on their use of this

farming method. Lastly, the economic advantages and disadvantes will not be discussed by this

study.

D. Definition of Terms

For a clearer understanding of the study, the following terms are operationally defined:

Kaingin System

Fallow Period

Slash-and-burn Agriculture

Aggregate

NPK
 Chapter 2

Background of the Study

History of the Kaingin System

The Slash-and-Burn System, also known as the Kaingin System in the Philippines, developed

from the need to provide for a constantly growing population during the Neolithic Revolution in

the river valleys of Egypt and Mesopotamia. While some groups could easily plant their crops in

open fields, other groups had forests blocking their farming land. To resolve this, these groups of

people developed the slash-and-burn method of farming so as to clear the land and make it more

suitable for planting their crops, and also for domesticating animals. Therefore, it has been since

the Neolithic times that the slash-and-burn techniques have been used to convert forests into crop

fields and pastures.

Very little has changed in the technology used to practice this farming technique. Clearing fields

during the Neolithic Revolution was done with the use of fire and basic tools like machetes, axes,

hoes and makeshift shovels. In the past, families who cleared a field were then the owners of that

field. These families then typically use these lands until the soil is exhausted, and it is at this

point that they abandon their ownership rights and clear a new field for them to utilize.

Process of the Kaingin System

This traditional farming practice involves first cutting down the natural vegetation in the area,

then burning any remaining vegetation and using the resulting ash as fertilizer to make the land

fertile for the planting of crops. The resulting ash, as aforementioned, provides the newly cleared

land with a nutrient-rich layer to help the crops grow. At certain times, though, the land is given
a fallow period, or a period during the growing season where the cultivated land is allowed to

remain idle to build up nutrients again. Even with this, however, the supply of nutrients is limited

and after a couple of years, the nutrients will be used up. Farmers then abandon this piece of

land, whose soil is now degraded and infertile, and move on to a new plot of land to repeat the

same procedure. In order to do this, they must clear yet another forest, contributing to

deforestation.

Soil Impacts of the Kaingin System

The impact of the slash-and-burn agriculture, or the Kaingin System, on the soil is that it affects

the presence of essential elements like Phosphorus, Nitrogen and Potassium. These elements are

vital for the full development of a plant. When there is a deficiency or absence of one of these

elements, the fertility of the soil and plant growth is greatly affected. Also, while the Kaingin

System may allow a fallow period in between harvests, most people especially in the Philippines

disregard this and continue on with growing crops continuously. This common practice makes it

difficult for the soil to build up its nutrients to help the plants grow and as a result, the depletion

of nutrients in the soil is inevitable. In a study conducted in 2010, the results show that the pH

levels in the land where the Kaingin System was practiced was lower than that of the original pH

level of the land, meaning that the soil has become acidic.This too can cause abnormalities in the

growth of plants.

In addition to the soil’s nutrients being completely depleted, the Kaingin System can also cause

other changes in the chemical and physical properties of soil. Fire plays an essential part in the

practice of this farming method, and the concentrations of nutrients like Potassium, Calcium and

Magnesium are often increased or unaffected by these fires. This is unlike the concentrations of

nutrients like Nitrogen and Sulfur, however, as these normally decrease when exposed to fires.
Several physical soil properties are altered by the presence of fire, like soil structure, texture,

porosity, infiltration rates and water holding capacity. The changes made to these properties

depend on the fire’s intensity, severity and frequency. Soil porosity, the characteristic of soil that

is closely related to its water holding capacity, can be reduced due to the loss of soil invertebrates

killed by the fire’s high temperature. This reduced soil porosity then makes it harder for the soil

to absorb water, making the land more prone to flooding, runoff and erosion. The lower water

infiltration rates increases the risk of soil dessication in flat terrains and in steep terrains,

accelerates runoff, ash transport, erosion and mass wasting. These alterations in the soil quality

may impact the growth of plants in the long run, as the soil may no longer be able to provide the

nutrients and elements needed by the plant to fully develop.

The Ecological Implications of the Kaingin System

The consequences of the Kaingin System are almost always destructive to the ecosystem.

Considered as a solution to meet the demand of food in over-populated countries like the

Philippines, the Kaingin System is commonly practiced by farmers and other native groups.

Oftentimes, with the rapidly increasing population and the corresponding rise of demand for

food, farmers work harder to supply the needs of the population. This then often leads to a higher

demand of farming land, which is why the necessary fallow period is often shortened drastically.

This then results in a land with nutrient-poor soil almost incapable of sustaining plant life.

Aside from creating a infertile land, the Kaingin System can also lead to a large-scale erosion as

a result of cutting down all the trees and thereby removing their roots. This lack of water-

absorbing structures increases the risk of flooding in the area, and this in turn washes away all

the remaining nutrients from the soil. An area of desertification results from this, which is a land

that can no longer sustain life for generations.

As forests often serve as habitats for a biologically diverse community, including a number of

endemic and endangered species, the Kaingin System also acts to further endager these species

by disrupting their habitats. The cutting and burning down of trees and other vegetation in the

area also contributes to the worldwide issue that is deforestation, especially since most farmers

leave a plot of land after the soil has been degraded, and clear out another forest. Deforestation,

like the practice of the Kaingin System, hold great ecological implications that can lead to severe

consequences in the long run.

 Chapter 3

Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation of Data