"Landcare" is a group-based approach to the promotion of conservation farming. A case study of the Landcare program in Lantapan in the southern Philippines is presented to assess the farm-level impacts of this approach. The program was successful in promoting the formation of Landcare groups and a municipal Landcare association, resulting in rapid and widespread adoption of conservation practices, particularly among maize farmers. This in turn significantly reduced soil erosion, though the impact on crop yield and income was somewhat delayed. Adoption was thus not motivated primarily by short-term returns but by a concern to reduce soil erosion and provide a basis for diversification into agroforestry.