Manure agriculture refers to the use of animal waste, such as cow dung, poultry litter, or composted fertilizer, to improve soil fertility and enhance crop production. Fertilizer is rich in essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which are crucial for plant growth.
Benefits of Using Manure in Agriculture:
- Improves Soil Health – Enhances soil structure, increases water retention, and promotes microbial activity.
- Provides Nutrients – Supplies essential macronutrients and micronutrients naturally.
- Environmentally Friendly – Reduces reliance on chemical fertilizers, lowering pollution and soil degradation.
- Cost-Effective – Farmers can produce or source fertilizer locally, reducing input costs.
- Enhances Organic Farming – A key component of sustainable and organic agriculture.
Types of Manure:
- Green – Plants grown specifically to be plowed back into the soil (e.g., cover crops like clover).
- Farmyard (FYM) – Decomposed animal dung, urine, and farm waste.
- Compost – Organic waste decomposed by microorganism
Manure is organic matter that is used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Most consists of animal feces; other sources include compost and green . Manures contribute to the fertility of soil by adding organic matter and nutrients, such as nitrogen, that are utilised by bacteria, fungi, and other organisms in the soil. Higher organisms then feed on the fungi and bacteria in a chain of life that comprises the soil food web.
