A Diary of an Organic Gardener in the Philippines

I have refrained from writing about my farm in the countryside of the Philippines because of the urban sprawl around me. My 180 feet deep well is dry! Why? golf course nearby draining all the ground water to keep the green, "green." I have seen the destruction of the rainforest on all four sides of my farm. The Metrogate subdivision is on one side of my farm. I witnessed the destruction of orchard and forests in the hundreds of hectares being cut. The buzzing of saws went on for 6 months. Then the noisy groans of bulldozers came, scrapping the top soil that took thousands of years to produce. This rich soil is something which cannot be replaced. The countryside is now dry as a bone, with the leaves of trees becomming crisp from the lack of moisture. The canopy is gone. The front of my farm is bordered by what was once a lanzones and mango orchard. The lady that owns it has cut down all the trees and left a two hectare dust bowl. The soil is baking in the sun, and when the wind blows, all the dry earth turns to dust. Why? progress, corrupt officials giving permits for conversion of agricultural land into commercial and residential to increase revenues from property taxes. My response was to plant more trees.