Of the country's total land area, 5.2 million hectares (about 17%) are severely eroded and another 8.34 million hectares (27.3%) are vulnerable to drought, alternating with floods and typhoons on an annual basis. In the lowlands, continued use of unsustainable production practices such as the extensive use of chemical inputs, expansion of grazing lands, slash and burn practices, and deforestation especially in watershed areas have resulted in land degradation (i.e., erosion, declining soil fertility) and problems of water quality and availability. In the upland ecosystem, climatic drivers and human-induced activities have resulted not only in land degradation but also in the loss of biodiversity (BSWM, 2004).