Pigeon Towers: A Low-Tech Alternative to Synthetic Fertilizers (2016)

Persian pigeon towers are one of the more elegant solutions to the nitrogen-phosphorus problem. One unique aspect of the Persian pigeon towers is the ledge of the bricks on the inside of the structure. Pigeon towers became a crucial part of the agricultural economy, providing much-needed fertilizer for melons, cucumbers, and other nitrogen-demanding crops-cornerstones of Persian cuisine. Most pigeon towers still around today are in the area of Isfahan, the second most populous region in Iran. Despite their decreased use, pigeon towers have some benefits over other low-tech alternatives in use today, such as the practice of some organic farmers to roll chicken coops over their fields. Pigeon towers were one such innovation-and they helped Persian farmers cultivate all kinds of crops on previously arid, thin-soil land. "The pigeon towers of Isfahan." Journal of Persian Studies: 105-109.Bekleyen, A. The dovecotes of Diyarbakır: the surviving examples of a fading tradition.