Farmers who produce a large number of food crops require a large amount of fertilizer just as well. Fertilizer boosts soil fertility and increases crop production. A soil that not fertilized would produce plants that are not so healthy and at a prolonged pace. For this reason, fertilizer is essential for growing crops on a large scale. Fertilizers are supposed to remain in the soil after application and help plants grow; but unfortunately, not all fertilizer stays in the ground after a rainfall. A typical farmer would apply a lot of compost into the soil – and the land would not be able to soak it all in at once.
Applying excess fertilizer to soil gives room for wastage of fertilizer which washes away during rainfall into some environmental water system. It's no news that fertilizer causes a significant amount of pollution to soil and water globally – which in turn harms living things. Excessive fertilizer in soil and waterways affect the habitats of particular living organisms because of the reduction in oxygen level caused by fertilizer pollution.
More so, it's a complete waste of cost and waste of benefit to the crop when fertilizer washes away. In other to reduce wastage and the negative impact caused by traditional fertilizer on the environment, environmentally friendly fertilizer is a better alternative.
What are Environmentally Friendly Fertilizers?
The concept of going green seems like an idea embraced everywhere in the world, including on the farmland. Environmentally friendly fertilizers stay longer on crops by giving the soil enough time to absorb all of the compost. The component of the ecologically friendly fertilizer is made up of a natural substance that gradually breaks down into the soil. The time interval it would take to break down the manure eliminates loss of nutrient caused by rainfall. The coating composition of these types of fertilizers is made up of various organic substances like plants and chitosan. The plant-based coating is made up of plant residues like wheat and starch while chitosan is from the exoskeleton of animals like crabs and shrimp.
Advantages of Using Environmentally Friendly Fertilizers
- Environmentally friendly fertilizer is just as effective as the traditional fertilizer but comes with a significant health benefit.
- It reduces water and land pollution.
- It eliminates cost wastage.It ensures the availability of nutrient to the soil for a more extended period.
- It helps to reduce carbon dioxide from the atmosphere converting it into organic matter.
- It gives rise to healthy soil and repair degraded lands.
- Reduces air pollution by decreasing nitrogen oxide.
Living in an eco-friendly environment without having to worry about chemicals contaminating the air or water gives rise to better health.