Overview

Land degradation across the high- lands of Southeast Asia is accelerating largely due to the expansion of high value annual cropping. Much of the expansion is due to policy directions that, in turn, influence cropping decisions of upland farmers. The magnitude of soil losses from such systems represents one of the major environmental problems across the region.

Efforts are underway to understand the implications of altered policy and farmer-sanctioned innovations in produc- tion practices on the sustainability of upland farming systems in Southeast Asia. Within this project we provide biophysical and economic data from on- farm and researcher-managed experi- ments that test resource-neutral soil conservation practices and agroforestry practices aimed for their effectiveness in yielding off-site soil sediment but without sacrifice in farm income. Field experiments and data analyses continued in 1999/2000, with outputs in the form of various publications, addi- tions to the site database, and information relevant to bio-economic modeling for the watershed.