Lowly Night Soil Extolled in China
Chinese farmers rely too often on scarce chemical fertilizer while supplies of a more traditional soil enhancer--human excrement--lie idle, the Communist Party newspaper People’s Daily reported Saturday.
Human excrement, or night soil, has been gathered for fertilizer in China for centuries. But the paper said night soil has begun to pile up unused.
“Before 1980, many work units and peasant families needed more night soil, and the supply was not adequate,” it said. “But in recent years, good quality night soil has been bought only by some orchards and a few fishing grounds.”
Chemical fertilizer is being used too frequently, the newspaper said, leading to shortages and resulting in a surplus of night soil despite its relatively low cost of $8 a ton.
“Peasants think using chemical fertilizer saves a lot of trouble,” the paper said. “It is clean and does not smell.
“But using more chemical fertilizer will destroy soil structure as well as adding cost.
“It is hoped that more attention will be paid to the good use of manure.”
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