Productive Sanitation

– Reuse as a driver to take sanitation to scale in the Sahel

Linus Dagerskog Research Fellow Stockhom Environment Institute

• Water pollution

• Disease transfer

• Loss of nutrients

- Just do it

- Hide it

- Displace it

Sanitize and reuse !

Closing the nutrient loop

For sustainability - technical, institutional, social and economical

aspects must be appropriately addressed!

→ Productive / Ecological sanitation

Productive sanitation – local importance

Health and food production

• Two billion people directly depend on 500

million small holder farms in developing

countries

• Productive sanitation → improved

management of local resources

• Ex: Annual excreta from the average

rural family in Niger contain plant

nutrients equivalent of 100 kg of

chemical fertilizer – cost 80$

Productive sanitation – regional importance

Water quality

Decrease the load of

nutrients and pathogens

to ground and surface

waters

Source: http://bio4esobil2010.wordpress.com/2011/06/01/eutrophication/

Productive sanitation – global importance

• Planetary boundaries – reduce the human impact on natural

nitrogen/phosphorous cycles

• Chemical fertilizers are based on limited resources – closing the

sanitation loop is part of the solution

Phosphorous

cycle

Nitrogen cycle

Conclusion

Recognize both dangers and resources in human excreta → local to

global impact

Many ways to reduce pathogens and risks with reuse – WHO guidelines

(2006) provide a good framework

Making the link to food production can:

• Leverage funds for sanitation from the agriculture sector

• Constitute a positive “pull-factor” in rural areas and attract farmers to

engage and invest in sanitation

How can this be done in practice??

Productive sanitation - Reuse as a driver to take

sanitation to scale in rural zones , Burkina Faso

Dr Moussa BONZI, Agronomist

Researcher on ISFM; Head of NRM Dprmt; CNRST/INERA

Presentation outline

- Sanitation and agricultural production in

Burkina Faso today?

- Innovative approach to scale up sanitation

in the rural zones of Burkina Faso

- Conclusion

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90-99% open defecation in rural areas

Direct effects:

• Widespread diarrhea, dysentery

and parasite infections

• High risk especially for

vulnerable parts of the population

(women and children)

Sanitation situation in rural areas (BF)

Only manual pit-emptying in rural areas

- Small holder farmer context with low agricultural

production (ex. 400 kg/ha of cereals compared to potential

yields of 3000-3500 kg/ha)

- High population growth: 2,6% -to 3% (Burkina Faso)

→ Great need for fertilizers and improved nutrient

management to keep up food production

Agricultural production in the Sahel (BF)

A safe reuse of sanitation products gives multiple

benefits for health and food production

How can the productive sanitation concept be

used to boost sanitation in the Sahel?

Productive sanitation - possible solution?

Methodology to spread the adoption of

the productive sanitation approach

o Create demand for the Ecosan-fertilizers

Use agronomic tests with treated sanitation products, on main crops to convince the farming community of the quality of such organic fertilizers

Rice fertilized with urea Rice fertilized with Birg-koom (liquid fertilizer = urine)

o Introducing the EcoSan fertilizer factory

Introducing the urinals and dry/composting latrines as “family factories for EcoSan fertilizer production”, with the production capacity and benefits being clear in relation to the investment.

Methodology to spread the adoption of

the productive sanitation approach

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15

After 6 months of

dry storage with ash

Birg-koenga (solid fertilizer) production

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45 days of

storage

Birg-koom (liquid fertilizer) production

Policy level

• Ministry of Agriculture also in charge of sanitation – understand the

interest of productive sanitation for Burkina Faso

• UDDT (called EcoSan latrine in BF) is included as an option in the national

sanitation plan

Pilot projects

• Excreta fertilizers are used in many of the provinces.

• More than 8000 farmers and 300 extension officers and municipal agents

have been trained on techniques of production and use of EcoSan fertilizers

in Burkina Faso.

• Three EU-funded (both food security and sanitation funds) rural EcoSan

projects have had most impact, with 6150 households having ‘fertilizer

factories’ = EcoSan latrines

Implemented by WSA, INERA and the Ministry of Agriculture 2008-2013

Many NGOs are now adopting the approach and also private initiatives

Results in Burkina Faso

Changing perspective on excreta and recognizing both danger AND

the available resources allows for win-win – improved food production

and health

This productive approach can give a major boost to sanitation in the

Sahel

• Good arguments to tap into food security / agriculture funds to boost

sanitation

• Good arguments to create sanitation demand from small holder

farmers

Conclusion

Needs a national program that takes on the approach – with equal emphasis on sanitation and agriculture components Improve access through: - Diversification of latrine types (low cost variants) - Microcredit - Complement with CLTS approach to reach total sanitation – with both push (dangers) and pull factors (resources)

Next steps

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