Environment
Urine that has sat in the sun for a while seems to fertilise crops while warding off pests, without affecting the produce’s taste
People harvesting cowpeas in Tahoua, Niger
Jake Lyell/Alamy
Human urine that has been matured in the sun for at least one month appears to be both a fertiliser and an effective pesticide. The findings could be particularly helpful for combatting insect infestations in West Africa, where soil quality is typically low and traditional pesticides are expensive.
Farmers taking part in a previous trial in Niger to investigate the use of urine as a fertiliser discovered that it was also having a pesticide effect, as plants treated with it had less pest damage than those that weren’t.
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