Assessing the financial impacts of using organic wastes as fertiliser

While the biophysical benefits of incorporating organic wastes as fertilisers into soils are known, the financial impacts are less well understood. In particular, the wider and combined financial impacts of using organic materials as fertiliser are poorly understood and communicated to farmers.

This project will assess the cost effectiveness of using waste products such as manure, dairy farm waste, compost and biochar as an organic fertiliser. It will be tested in broadacre and other cropping systems in New South Wales in the first instance.

Using organic materials as fertilisers has numerous financial and environmental benefits but also potential costs and risks. Economic research in this area is rarely undertaken as suitable data are dispersed or not available. This project will work directly with farmers, filling gaps with modelled information. It will be based on investigating scenarios of how farmers can increase productivity and farm income using organic fertilisers in comparison to inorganic fertilisers.

This project will help farmers understand the economics of applying organic fertilisers derived from waste, thereby leading to greater uptake and application of recycled organic materials.