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Why Vermont farmers are using urine on their crops


Urine was used as fertiliser in ancient Rome and China. Now farmers in Vermont are bringing this practice back to boost harvests and grow crops in a more sustainable way.

Williams takes part in the Urine Nutrient Reclamation Program (UNRP), a programme run by the Rich Earth Institute (REI), a non-profit based in Vermont. Nancy Love, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Michigan who has collaborated with the team at REI over the last decade, has found that using urine instead of standard synthetic fertiliser reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and requires around half the amount of water. Love says that urine separation systems don't rely on flushing in the same way standard toilets do – which is great for reducing water use, but is difficult to achieve with current plumbing codes.

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