We need to do a quick re-evaluation of how to grow our crops. One of our biggest assets is cow dung. This, again, is on the decline because thousands of cattle are slaughtered every day. From being a free asset, it now sells for IRs 6 a kilo.

Cow dung constituents

Cow dung consists of three basic elements critical to plant health: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Nitrogen allows plants to produce the proteins needed to build living tissue for green stems, strong roots and many leaves. Phosphorus helps move energy throughout the plant, which is especially important in maturing plants. Potassium aids plants in adapting sugars needed in growth and is particularly helpful in root crops. Ignoring this, we buy huge amounts of chemical fertilisers, which are nothing but a chemical rehash of the same three elements.

Cow dung also contains large amounts of humus, a wonderful soil amender. Humus is simply the bulky, fibrous material that comes from plant fibres and animal remains and is valuable in several ways: it enriches clay soils; supplies food for soil flora and fauna; preserves moisture during dry spells while ensuring good drainage during wet times; and is a storehouse for nitrogen in the soil. In short, humus acts like a reservoir, allowing nutrients to work.

Fresh cow manure has the highest nitrogen content. Manure left to age 6 to 12 months is lower in nitrogen but has less chance of burning tender roots.

Very few people realise that the world is heading towards an acute shortage of phosphorous in soil fertility. (Rock phosphate is a near monopoly of the US Rocky Mountains and China and both realise the commercial significance of their phosphorous mineral wealth). Cow dung contains up to 0.2 percent phosphorous and that alone justifies its recycling into soil. The phosphorous content is 1-3kgs per tonne of cow dung manure. Even more important, phosphate in chemical fertilisers, being water soluble, get washed away in irrigation water. The phosphate in cow dung fertiliser binds itself to the roots of the plants and is not washed away.

However, phosphorus reaches the cow through the feed it takes. Soils that are organically rich are able to supply fodder and grasses that are rich in phosphorous. So ultimately, we have to close the loop and shift to organic cow dung fertilisers for our soils to ensure continuous phosphorous sustainability.

Making manure

This is an ideal fertiliser according to farmers: mix 10kg fresh cow dung, 2kg groundnut cake and 2kg neem cake and add 100 litres of water. Stir well for 15 minutes daily for 15 days. To apply to plants, take 1 litre of the fermented solution and dilute with 10 litres of water. Pour around the base of the plant, a simple and easy to use technology. Women can prepare the fertiliser themselves and sell it if they like. Since there are no additives or toxic chemicals in this preparation, it is very suitable for organic farming practices. Better still, its cost of preparation is low, compared to an equal quantity of inorganic fertiliser or plant protection chemicals.

Cow manure can be used more directly to fertilise individual plants. A scoop of cow manure inserted into the base of a pot for squash or pumpkins, for example, gives them a nutritional boost. You can also use cow manure around the base of established plants, particularly in sandy or nutrient-poor soils. This will provide nutrients over a longer period of time.

As our population increases and land holdings get smaller and smaller, cattle manure is the only answer. This is the way it should be done: cattle are sent to grazing areas during the day and penned at night. Manure that accumulates in the pens is dug out towards the end of the dry season. It is allowed to cure for up to three months and then spread on the fields in September/October. One cow or buffalo gives about 1.5 tonnes of manure per year.

The most important significance of cow dung and cow urine is to maintain the organic microbial and mineral micronutrient richness of soil.

Revitalising the soil

Many researchers have studied the value of cattle manure as a fertiliser compared with mineral fertilisers. Manure application to granitic sands overcomes or prevents deficiencies of micronutrients. Cattle manure contains an average of 1.04 percent nitrogen, 0.15 percent potassium, 0.78 percent phosphorus and 32 other micronutrients. The Nitrogen release is low and spread over time. Manure applications result in increases in pH, waterholding capacity, hydraulic conductivity and infiltration rates. The soil conditioning ability of cow manure, due to the amount of quality organic matter, that no fertiliser can match, is reason enough to use it. The soil amending properties of this great natural fertiliser are unbelievable.

Cowdung sustains all life.  Beetles, larvae, worms, bacteria, fungi love it. Birds eat the seeds, insects, larvae and worms in it, and some of the dung itself. Mice and other rodents tear it apart looking for nutritious morsels. Reptiles stake out hunting territories around it. Land tortoises eat it for easy calories and B vitamins. Cow dung is a mountain of food delights for all creatures. It provides moisture, sustenance and shelter for a long list of creatures that form the chain of life itself. Examine a cow dung pat: in a five-minute period you will see butterflies, wasps, bees, beetles, moths, flies, hornets, dragonflies, lacewings, mantis, ants. Ecologically, dung is a big deal. Fungi suck enzyme-dissolved carbohydrates from it into the soil. Beetles feed on it and in the process, loosen, fertilise and aerate the soil. Remember that the sacred Egyptian scarab, a symbol of rebirth, is a dung beetle.

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