Pig Farming in Antioquia: A Source of Fertilizing Manure to Improve the Environment

Abstract

This article presents the historical and agronomic value of animal manure as organic fertilizer, from its recognition in classical antiquity to its displacement by synthetic fertilizers in the 20th century, whose widespread use caused soil salinization and chemical erosion problems. The authors document the economic and agronomic benefits of pig manure as fertilizer, presenting calculations on the potential national savings in urea imports and its positive effects on soil physical and chemical properties. It describes the Cleaner Production Agreement between the pig-farming and environmental sectors, developed in Antioquia among the Pig Farmers' Association, Corantioquia, and the company Sinergia Ambiental Ltda., which by 2004 had enrolled 20 pig producers in the region, trained in integrated waste management, wastewater treatment, vector control, and alternative energy sources such as biodigesters.