Denmark looks at plant based manure for renewable energy

The use of non organic manure being used on organic farms will soon be a thing of the past, In the near future this will be replaced by green manure – in other words, a plant-based manure. In a new project at Aarhus University scientists will therefore look at how to get the maximum benefit of nitrogen in green manure while optimising the quality of the fertiliser.

"The objective is to optimise the yield of the nitrogen in plant-based fertiliser that is stable and readily available when needed," says senior scientist Jørn Nygaard Sørensen, who is behind the project. Read more ...

Reduce waste to meet food demand OFC told

Globally over the next 25 to 50 years food production will have to double, to keep up with the growing populations and the growing consumption. However the Chief scientific advisor, Professor Sir Bob Watson told the Oxford Farming Conference He said "there is huge wastage in present food production and there are growing concerns over the excessive use of nitrogen and fertilisers to produce food". "We are not feeding the world sustainably and at the same time one billion people go to bed each day hungry, and that is not acceptable". Read more ...