Bio-fertilizers

Biofertilizers are a fermented product made from cow dung, milk, sugars, ashes, and rock dust mixed with water. After a month of fermentation, the solution contains numerous minerals and compounds that feed and protect plants from insects and pathogens. Biofertilizers are a good alternative to chemical fertilizers for several reasons. Chemical fertilizers need to be bought, which means they depend on timely distribution and availability, and are a significant expense. Since biofertilizers are produced at home or on the farm, they are always available when needed and can be produced with locally available materials at minimal cost. Additionally, chemical fertilizers, while offering a short-term nutritional boost to the soil, over the long term degrade soil structure and soil biology thereby reducing the overall fertility and water holding capacity. Using chemical fertilisers leave the farmer dependent on buying and using more fertilizer every season! In contrast, biofertilizers nourish, regenerate, and reactivate the soil’s life as the benefits build up with successive applications.

Additional sources

MetaMeta and RockinSoils. 2020. The biofertilizer manual – A step-by-step guide on how to make biofertilizer at home. as part of ‘Green Future Farming Program (GFF)’. Supported by IKEA Foundation.