IWMI West Africa

Lee Davelaar, IWMI West Africa

The temperature has soared to well over 30 degrees, but Kwasi Asare and Samuel La show no signs of slowing down.

With each heavy scoop of their shovels, steam rises from the mound of waste and organic material they are turning. It’s hard work but it is vital to kick-start a scientific process that could hold the key to increasing agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa.

It is all part of the ‘Fertilizer Pellet Fertilization Project’ (FPFP), an innovative project led by the Resource Recovery & Reuse team at the West Africa office of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

The project is looking to harness the organic potency of human waste and turn it into safe, hygienic fertilizer pellets that are suitable and safe for application by farmers.

As Project Leader, Josiane Nikiema, explains, Samuel and Kwasi’s hard work is an important part in the early phase of the project.

“This material being turned by Kwasi and Samuel is a combination of human waste and other natural products such as sawdust and organic food scraps,” says Josiane. “That is why you can see they take precautions with their equipment and their clothes. By constantly turning and resting the materials, we help create a natural heat treatment during the composting process that will assist in removing pathogens while minimizing nutrient losses.”

The use of human waste or fecal sludge in agriculture is not a new concept. It has been used effectively in Asia for centuries. However, its use in sub-Saharan Africa is relatively new, and the West Africa office of IWMI has been exploring the potential it could hold for agriculture in the region since 2001.

 “Unlike animal manure or farm residue traditionally, the use of human manure in agriculture has been met with some opposition in sub-Saharan Africa,” says Josiane. “However, this was more at the regulatory level than at the farmer’s end. Farmers appreciate the material.”

Josiane understands that cultural resistance to the use of human waste in food production is a confounding factor that needs to be addressed.

Human waste is an abundant, inexpensive resource and research indicates that, if treated effectively and applied correctly, it can hold numerous benefits for farmers.

Pelletizing the materials and mixing it with other nutrients, which is the current objective of the study, will make the product more marketable, easier to handle and easier to transport.

Josiane hopes the project will lead to the creation of a rich and valuable product that will have a prolonged shelf life and can be transported over long distances.

“This will help immensely in exploring options to make this form of resource recovery profitable for private investors,” says Josiane.

The project is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through the Grand Challenges Explorations Program.

Rome, 28 September 2011. For Dr. Philip Amoah from the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) the participation in the 2011 Share Fair has been a fascinating opportunity to learn about different knowledge sharing tools and methods. In particular, he underlines what value could bring to his work tolls such as Google Docs and videos, as well as technologies such as the fishbowl.

IWMI-Ghana held a mini-symposium at the recent 3rd Ghana Water Forum in Accra, “Wealth from Waste – a paradigm shift in sanitation thinking.” Speakers included researchers from IWMI-Ghana, wastewater re-use entrepreneurs, academics and a government representative.

Liqa Raschid-Sally facilitated the well-attended session. Ashley Murray, founder and CEO of Waste Enterprisers and also IWMI Research Consultant spoke on “Waste-based businesses: transforming sanitation & health through reuse.” Frederick Tettey-Lowor showed how Safi Sana Foundation is “Closing the Sanitation  Loop” through developing scalable, local business models to produce and market renewable energy and organic fertilizer, while providing quality sanitation and clean water services to communities. Philip Amoah and Josiane Nikiema of IWMI-Ghana also presented IWMI’s work, “Low-Cost Options for Reducing Consumer Health Risks from wastewater Irrigation” and “Reuse of Faecal Sludge in Agriculture.” Dr. Irene Egyir, University of Ghana, discussed “Effective marketing strategies for overcoming consumer resistance to products from reused water."

“DON’T WASTE WASTE, IT HAS ECONOMIC VALUE” was the key message that emerged in the session. Participants agreed that proper wastewater management can generate adequate resources to cover costs, if stakeholders change their thinking in sanitation management. This conclusion was captured in the communiqué issued at the end of the 3rd Ghana Water Forum: “There should be a paradigm shift from waste disposal to waste reuse for wealth generation and the enabling environment created for investments into waste reuse.”