Manure: from waste to agricultural input and energy

Once seen merely as an inconvenient livestock waste, manure is now part of an agenda that combines agricultural productivity, cost reduction, risk mitigation and environmental sustainability. In a global context that demands a new economic logic based on resource circularity, this organic material stands out as a strategic input to improve soil fertility and reduce dependence on mineral fertilizers — highly soluble synthetic inputs that, while effective in the short term, bring increasing environmental and economic challenges.

The substitution becomes especially urgent regarding nitrogen fertilizers, one of the main sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the sector, according to the report Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU). The impact occurs on two fronts: the manufacturing process of these mineral fertilizers releases large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO₂), while their application in the field generates nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions. The latter is particularly critical, with a global warming potential roughly 265 times greater than CO₂.

Meanwhile, according to Embrapa, applying cattle, pig or poultry manure improves the soil’s physical structure, increases water retention and stimulates microbial activity — essential factors for plant development. Moreover, the material is rich in nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and micronutrients that are released gradually, ensuring greater nutritional efficiency and reducing the impacts of synthetic solutions.

However, although not new, the adoption of manure as fertilizer on an industrial, technologized scale is only taking its first steps.

When did manure begin to gain prominence?

Between 2021 and 2022, the search for alternatives to synthetic fertilizers intensified due to the global input crisis triggered by pandemic-related logistical bottlenecks and severely worsened by the war between Russia and Ukraine. The conflict hit agribusiness by restricting the supply of essential raw materials such as potassium and nitrogen, raising production costs and threatening farm profitability. This uncertain scenario pushed producers to seek alternatives to ensure business continuity, including biological options.

According to data from Embrapa, the supply shock exposed Brazil’s vulnerability, since the country imported about 85% of the fertilizers used annually. Faced with the crisis, the state agency stepped up the guidelines of the National Fertilizer Plan, focusing on the development of national technologies such as bioinputs and soil remineralization to mitigate external dependence and pursue productive sovereignty in the sector.

Success cases in the country

Using manure as an agricultural input strengthens the logic of the circular economy by reintegrating into the production system a material that was previously treated as an environmental liability. Instead of creating disposal costs or contamination risks, the residue becomes a strategic asset that improves soil health and reduces the need for imported mineral fertilizers.

A striking example of this transition in Brazil is the Ajuricaba Agroenergy Condominium for Family Farming, in Paraná. The pioneering project connects rural properties to a system of biodigesters that treat tons of cattle and pig waste. The process generates two value streams: biogas and liquid biofertilizer, which is transported for direct application to producers’ fields, replacing chemical fertilizer.

Beyond direct use in the soil, the energy potential of this material has driven industrial-scale projects. One of the country’s main success stories is the Geo Biogás & Tech biogas plant in partnership with Cocal, in Narandiba/SP. The facility uses agro-industrial residues to produce biomethane and electricity at large scale. According to the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL), agricultural biogas already emerges as one of the most promising sources for expanding Brazil’s energy matrix, turning organic liabilities into renewable fuel for fleets and industries.

Present and future of organic fertilizers and bioinputs in Brazil

Brazil is already considered a global leader in organic agriculture and, since 2024, has been significantly changing the landscape of production and adoption of organic fertilizers and bioinputs in terms of legislation and monitoring targets, helping reposition biofertilizer from an “emergency substitute” to a structural component of management.

Among the changes disclosed in the Annual Monitoring Report of the PNF, published at the end of 2024 by the National Fertilizers and Plant Nutrition Council (CONFERT), linked to the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC), the following stand out:

Increase the production and supply of organic and organo-mineral fertilizers by 25% by 2025 and 50% by 2030 (using 2023 as the baseline). In the long term, the goal is to reach a 500% increase by 2050.
Expand the use of bioinputs for plant nutrition to at least 25% of Brazil’s planted area by 2030. By 2050, the objective is for 75% of the area to use these technologies.

Enacted on December 23, 2024, the New Legal Framework for Bioinputs (Law No. 15.070/2024) is the most significant change, bringing greater legal clarity to the definition of bioinputs (products that use microorganisms, enzymes or natural extracts for various functions) and, consequently, their distinction from organic fertilizers (products composed of plant or animal organic matter that serve as nutrient sources for plants and improve the soil’s physical structure).

Under the new law, bioinputs are no longer treated as “annexes” to pesticides or chemical fertilizers and acquire their own category and regulation, which provides greater legal security.

The law also legalized and simplified the production of bioinputs for on-farm use, which should accelerate large-scale adoption without relying solely on industry. The expected implementation of specific financial and tax mechanisms for those who produce or use bioinputs, aimed at lowering costs for producers, is another change expected to contribute to the sector’s expansion, which has been growing at an average rate of 22% per year from 2021 to 2024. In the 2024/25 harvest the growth was 13%, a gain four times higher than the global average, according to the report Bioinputs in Brazil – Market Data for the Sector, produced by CropLife Brazil in partnership with the consulting firm Blink.

Sources of reference:

Since the global input crisis, the agricultural sector has intensified the search for viable and sustainable alternatives. Manure has gained increasing relevance due to its multiple positive impacts.

When did manure begin to gain prominence?

Success cases in the country

Pasture-fed cattle are richer in omega-3

Preparing meat the wrong way can reduce protein: learn the correct method

Amino acids: your body doesn’t produce them, but needs them!

Precision livestock farming: robots and sensors reduce costs and environmental impacts