Economic System and Environment: Co-Composting Effect of Prosopis Africana and Cow Dung

Abstract

An economic system is comprised of the various processes of organizing and motivating labor, producing, distributing, and circulating of the fruits of human labor, including products and services, consumer goods, machines, tools, and other technology used as inputs to future production, and the infrastructure within and through which production, distribution, and circulation occurs. Natural environment refers to climate, weather, and natural resources that affect human survival and economic activity. The natural environment is an important component of the economic system, and without the natural environment the economic system will not be able to function. Hence, in recent years economists have started treating the natural environment in the same way as they treat labor and capital as an asset and a resource. Composting is a biological conversion of heterogeneous organic substrate under controlled conditions, into a hygienic, humus rich and relatively bio-stable product that conditions soil and nourishes plants. The use of compost as a soil conditioner, a fertilizer, or a growth medium has, of course, significant environmental benefits. However, there are also negative impacts on the environment associated with making and using compost. The overall aim of this study is to understand the physicochemical changes such as temperature, conductivity, pH, loss in weight and moisture content that occur during the co-composting of  Prosopis Africana shell with cow dung and to assess the way in which these factors influence the quality of the resulting compost and the environment.