Agricultural Economics Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Gazipur, Bangladesh.
Nutrient Management for Diversified Cropping in Bangladesh Project, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, Australia.
Waste Manag Res. 2022 Aug;40(8):1277-1284. doi: 10.1177/0734242X211064416. Epub 2021 Dec 13.
The use of organic fertilisers and soil amendments are almost universally recommended for improving the organic matter levels and maintaining soil health, but few studies documenting the actual availability and quality of such materials on smallholder farms are available. We selected a case study of 300 households from northern and southern Bangladesh to assess the types of waste materials available for recycling and their usage patterns at household level and we applied a novel approach to empirically identify household waste as input inefficiency in a production context. Northern districts have highly intensive farming systems whereas southern districts have low intensity farming. The total amount of agricultural waste produced at household level was estimated at 822 kg per month. Cow dung contributed about 65% of the total waste followed by animal feed refusal waste (11%), garbage (7%) and kitchen waste (6%). Most of the farmers utilised cow dung and wastes as organic fertiliser and lesser amounts as cooking fuel. Econometric analysis shows that the number of cattle and small ruminant per holding, total area of cultivated land and family size were significant factors that influence the amount of waste production at household level. Each household can reduce the chemical fertiliser cost by Tk. 1463 (US$ 17.84) per month by using compost prepared from household waste. There were ample opportunities for compost/vermicomposting and potential markets. The Department of Agricultural Extension from the public sector and private sector agents might motivate farmers to harvest the potential benefits of agricultural waste through effective management and utilisation.
有机肥料和土壤改良剂的使用几乎被普遍推荐用于提高有机质水平和保持土壤健康，但很少有研究记录小农场上这些材料的实际可用性和质量。我们选择了孟加拉国北部和南部的 300 户家庭进行案例研究，以评估可用于回收的废物类型及其在家庭层面的使用模式，我们采用了一种新方法来从实证角度确定家庭废物在生产环境中的投入效率低下问题。北部地区的农业系统集约化程度高，而南部地区的农业系统集约化程度低。家庭层面每月产生的农业废物总量估计为 822 公斤。牛粪约占废物总量的 65%，其次是动物饲料废弃物（11%）、垃圾（7%）和厨房垃圾（6%）。大多数农民将牛粪和废物用作有机肥料，较少用作烹饪燃料。计量经济学分析表明，每户牛和小反刍动物的数量、耕地总面积和家庭规模是影响家庭层面废物产生量的重要因素。每个家庭通过使用家庭废物制备的堆肥，每月可减少 1463 塔卡（17.84 美元）的化肥成本。有充足的机会进行堆肥/蚯蚓堆肥和潜在市场。公共部门的农业推广部门和私营部门代理商可以通过有效管理和利用，激励农民从农业废物中获得潜在收益。
