The Changing History of East Asian Human Manure Fertilization

Join Dr. Duk-Kyung Choi on April 25th for a lecture on “The Changing History of East Asian Human Manure Fertilization.” In this talk, Dr. Choi will introduce his recent book Manure Ecology in the Agricultural History of East Asia (Sechang press, 2016). Here is the abstract:

Fertilizer is the most important factor in raising agricultural productivity by enhancing the fertility of soil. The most common fertilizers in East Asian traditional agriculture were human feces and urine. In this study, I investigate the socio-economic conditions underlying the use of human feces and urine and the changes in their use in East Asian civilizations. Since ancient times, the people of East Asia have traditionally supported a large population by utilizing this natural means of fertilization, yet eventually this practice was replaced in the modern world by the use of agricultural pesticides and chemicals, all of which have jeopardized the health of the ecosystem and placed human life at risk. We now can examine some of the previously unforeseen consequences of modernization when it comes to human waste. If a new model for economic development in harmony with the environment is urgently demanded, it seems that one answer can be found in the historical practice of recycling feces and urine as an essential way to preserve human life and maintain a sustainable environment.