What is guano?

Guano is the accumulated excrement or droppings of seabirds or bats. It is valuable as manure, as it has a high content of nitrogen, phosphate and potassium – key nutrients essential for plant growth. Before fertilizer began to be made in factories (the first such factory came up in Germany in 1913), countries competed to capture islands populated by seabirds so that they could have access to large deposits of guano. Economies of some countries like Peru flourished through the export of guano. Even today, Peru is the largest exporter of guano which is in demand again because of the growing popularity of organic farming.

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